Remediation of amoxicillin-contaminated water using zeolite from coal bottom ash

Galuh Yuliani; Nedya Tresna Dwi Hidayah; Maryono Maryono; Budiman Anwar; Mamun Mollah; Jessica Veronica; Agus Setiabudi

doi:10.20961/stjssa.v22i2.93672

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Galuh Yuliani
galuh@upi.edu
Chemistry Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung , Indonesia
Nedya Tresna Dwi Hidayah Chemistry Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung , Indonesia
Maryono Maryono Chemistry Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung , Indonesia
Budiman Anwar Chemistry Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung , Indonesia
Mamun Mollah School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton Campus , Australia
Jessica Veronica Chemistry Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung , Indonesia
Agus Setiabudi Chemistry Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung , Indonesia

Vol. 22 No. 2 (2025): December

RESEARCH

Submitted September 23, 2024

Accepted June 16, 2025

Published August 27, 2025

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The contamination of antibiotics in water bodies has increased significantly in recent years. Various treatments, including adsorption, have been sought, but most include expensive sorbent material with low efficiency. This research reported an alternative sorbent material; synthetic zeolite derived from coal-burning waste. Coal bottom ash was converted to zeolite via a hydrothermal technique using various concentrations of NaOH and relatively low-temperature conditions. X-ray diffractogram confirms the formation of ZSM-23 when aÂ 1:2 coal-to-zeolite ratio was used at 95Â°C. The FTIR spectra also highlighted the characteristics of zeolite functional groups, such as the Siâˆ’O vibration at 999.56 cm^-1 and the Alâˆ’O vibration at 799.48 cm^-1. The needle-like morphology of ZSM-23 was observed during SEM-EDS analysis. When calculated using BET analysis, the synthetic zeolite also exhibited a high surface area of 433.517 m²g^-1. Upon application in a batch experiment, the maximum adsorption capacity of the zeolite for amoxicillin (AMX) adsorption in aqueous solution was found to be 673.5 mg g^-1. The adsorption data fitted the Langmuir isotherm better than the Freundlich one, with aÂ correlation factor of 0.9328. This suggested the monolayer interaction, possibly between the negatively charged zeolite surface and theÂ NH₃⁺ group from AMX. However, the physical adsorption mechanism with the zeolite surface may also occur due to the high surface area. Considering the low production cost, this zeolite offers high economic value as an alternative sorbent for removing antibiotics in water effluent.

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How to Cite

Yuliani, G., Hidayah, N. T. D., Maryono, M., Anwar, B., Mollah, M., Veronica, J., & Setiabudi, A. (2025). Remediation of amoxicillin-contaminated water using zeolite from coal bottom ash. SAINS TANAH - Journal of Soil Science and Agroclimatology, 22(2), 146-154. https://doi.org/10.20961/stjssa.v22i2.93672

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Remediation of amoxicillin-contaminated water using zeolite from coal bottom ash

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