Removal of antibiotics from water

Prof. Dr. Rana Kıdak,  faculty member at Cyprus International University (CIU) Faculty of Engineering stated that antibiotics, which are frequently used in the treatment of various diseases in the country and around the world, return to nature in the form of waste because they  are excreted unaltered from a person or animal. 
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Expressing that there is the possibility of various antibiotics in nature, especially in aquatic environments, Kıdak pointed out that this situation causes many problems.

Kıdak also stated that antibiotics cause deterioration of vital processes due to their entry into various natural cycles, adding that "they can also enter  nutrient cycling and also lead to an increase in antibiotic resistance in living things."

Reminding that many methods are used by environmental engineers and environmental scientists to remove these antibiotics from natural cycles, Kıdak gave information about the study carried out by Murad M. Khamayseh in the CIU Faculty of Engineering, Environmental Sciences doctoral program.

Kıdak pointed out that an environmentally friendly method was used in this study and noted that water was from purified Amoxicillin and Levofloxacin.

Stating that biosorbents are natural or man-made materials that can selectively bind harmful compounds and impurities in aqueous solutions, Kıdak said, “In this study, a kind of surface algae (Pithophora Macroalgae) that grows naturally in nature was used as a biosorbent, and a high rate of purification was achieved with the superficial absorption technique.” 

Kıdak emphasized that the research was carried out by CIU Environmental Engineering PhD student Khamayseh adding she supervised the study.

Kıdak pointed out that this study is an enlightening study on the fight against environmental pollution, and added that the results of the study were published in a distinguished scientific journal. 

In her statement, Kıdak also stated that CIU will continue to carry out such scientific studies and produce solutions on the fight against environmental pollution.