Transforming Biogenic Iron Oxide into Zero-Valent Iron for Sustainable Doxycycline Removal from Water
Abstract
The study of biogenic iron oxide (BIOX) produced by Leptothrix bacteria plays a crucial role in sustainable environmental management. As a naturally abundant material, BIOX offers a green alternative to synthetic iron oxides, with promising applications in water treatment, pollution control, and resource recovery. However, its efficacy in removing antibiotic contaminants, specifically doxycycline (DOXY), has not been systematically investigated, representing a clear knowledge gap. Here, we demonstrate that reducing BIOX under either pure H2 or a H2/N2 gas mixture significantly enhances its adsorption capacity for DOXY in both synthetic solutions and real water samples collected from the River Clyde. An increased intensity of zero-valent iron (Fe0) reflections, achieved by extending the reduction duration or raising the temperature, generally correlated with superior performance across various pH levels. A prolonged reduction process lasting 10 hours at different temperatures (700°C, 400°C, and 500°C) achieved adsorption capacity of 455 mg/g. Furthermore, this reductive strategy successfully enhanced the performance of other waste-derived adsorbents, including red mud (RM) and RM-derived α-Fe2O3. These results demonstrate the broad potential of reduced biogenic and waste-derived materials for environmental remediation, highlighting the need for further studies across a wider spectrum of aquatic pollutants.
Related
- Biogenic synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using Aspergillus flavus for sustainable removal of strontium ions from contaminated water based on bioremediation technology
- Biogenic gold nanoparticles via Aloe vera waste: a sustainable catalyst for water treatment.
- Tangerine peel as a sustainable biomass precursor for carbon quantum dots with photocatalytic application for dye removal from water and wastewater
- Sustainable Synthesis of Zinc Oxide and Its Application in Water Contaminant Removal
- Wettability-Controlled Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents for Sustainable and Rapid Removal of Hexavalent Chromium
BibTeX
@misc{hosny2026transforming,
title = {{Transforming Biogenic Iron Oxide into Zero-Valent Iron for Sustainable Doxycycline Removal from Water}},
author = {Mohamed Hosny and Justin S J Hargreaves},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15011067/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15011067/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Transforming Biogenic Iron Oxide into Zero-Valent Iron for Sustainable Doxycycline Removal from Water
AU - Mohamed Hosny
AU - Justin S J Hargreaves
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15011067/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15011067/v1
AB - The study of biogenic iron oxide (BIOX) produced by Leptothrix bacteria plays a crucial role in sustainable environmental management. As a naturally abundant material, BIOX offers a green alternative to synthetic iron oxides, with promising applications in water treatment, pollution control, and resource recovery. However, its efficacy in removing antibiotic contaminants, specifically doxycycline (DOXY), has not been systematically investigated, representing a clear knowledge gap. Here, we demonstrate that reducing BIOX under either pure H2 or a H2/N2 gas mixture significantly enhances its adsorption capacity for DOXY in both synthetic solutions and real water samples collected from the River Clyde. An increased intensity of zero-valent iron (Fe0) reflections, achieved by extending the reduction duration or raising the temperature, generally correlated with superior performance across various pH levels. A prolonged reduction process lasting 10 hours at different temperatures (700°C, 400°C, and 500°C) achieved adsorption capacity of 455 mg/g. Furthermore, this reductive strategy successfully enhanced the performance of other waste-derived adsorbents, including red mud (RM) and RM-derived α-Fe2O3. These results demonstrate the broad potential of reduced biogenic and waste-derived materials for environmental remediation, highlighting the need for further studies across a wider spectrum of aquatic pollutants.
ER -