The accessibility of tetracycline resistance gene ( tetG ) into the pores of activated carbon (AC), as well as the impact of the pore size distribution (PSD) of AC on the uptake capacity of tetG , were investigated using eight types of AC (four coal-based and four wood-based). AC showed the capability to admit tetG and the average reduction of tetG for coal-based and wood-based ACs at the AC dose of 1 g · L -1 was 3.12 log and 3.65 log, respectively. The uptake kinetic analysis showed that the uptake of the gene followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics reaction, and the uptake rate constant for the coal-based and wood-based ACs was in the range of 5.97 × 10 -12 - 4.64 × 10 -9 and 7.02 × 10 -11 - 1.59 × 10 -8 copies·mg -1 · min -1 , respectively. The uptake capacity analysis by fitting the obtained experiment data with the Freundlich isotherm model indicated that the uptake constant ( K F ) values were 1.71 × 10 3 - 8.00 × 10 9 (copies · g -1 ) 1-1/n for coal-based ACs and 7.00 × 10 8 - 3.00 × 10 10 (copies · g -1 ) 1-1/n for wood-based ones. In addition, the correlation analysis between K F values and pore volume as well as pore surface at different pore size regions of ACs showed that relatively higher positive correlation was found for pores of 50 - 100 Å , suggesting ACs with more pores in this size region can uptake more tetG . The findings of this study are valuable as reference for optimizing the adsorption process regarding antibiotic resistance-related concerns in drinking water treatment.
KeywordsAntibiotic Resistance GenesAdsorptionActivated CarbonDrinking Water Treatment
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