Removal of antibiotics from aqueous solution using silicon-based materials. An overview

ABSTRACT Antibiotics are extensively used to protect the health of both humans and animals. This inevitably results in the contamination of aquatic environments with antibiotics. The removal of antibiotics from aquatic environments has raised concerns amongst researchers. Silicon-based materials, from natural (i.e. zeolite and quartz or feldspar minerals) to modified materials (i.e. mesoporous silica and silica gels), have been widely researched as efficient adsorbents or catalytic for the removal of contaminants from aqueous solutions. This is due to their nature features such as large pore volume, adjustable pore structure, large surface area, well-modified surface, and high reaction activity. The main objective of this study is to describe and compare the application of various silicon-based materials in the removal of different antibiotics from aqueous solutions. The most promising works have been discussed and the main challenges and development of silicon-based materials used in the treatment of water have been analyzed.