Exploring the potential of red mud and naturally occurring materials for water treatment: sustainable strategies for the effective removal of antibiotics

Mahmoud, Mohamed Hosny Elsayed (2026) Exploring the potential of red mud and naturally occurring materials for water treatment: sustainable strategies for the effective removal of antibiotics. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Amidst growing concerns over water pollution and the continuous discharge of pharmaceuticals (e.g., antibiotics) into water bodies worldwide, addressing sustainable wastewater treatment techniques has become a pressing priority. In addition, today’s world faces numerous issues such as resource depletion, water shortage, soil pollution, increased demand for energy, and other critical problems. Therefore, it is essential to use waste materials that could be of potential benefit in such applications. These waste materials are generally classified into natural and industrial (man-made) wastes. One of these industrial waste materials is red mud, which is the main byproduct of the aluminium production industry whether using the Bayer or sintering processes. Red mud causes many environmental issues including water and soil pollution because of its high alkalinity. In addition, dry and wet storage of red mud is not effective because of red mud leaching into soil and groundwater. Therefore, as outlined in this study, three different samples of red mud from India and China were used to extract valuable metal oxides such as titania (TiO2) and haematite (α-Fe2O3) to be used in the adsorption of ceftriaxone and doxycycline, which are common antibiotics discharged into water systems. Red mud samples were investigated and the extracted metal oxides were proved to be more efficient.

α-Fe2O3 is also easily and ecofriendly synthesized using Typha latifolia (T. latifolia), which is a cosmopolitan plant species that causes serious environmental issues when dominating ecosystems, and therefore there is great value in making use of the excessive biomass of this plant. Additionally, TiO2 was prepared in a more conventional way using titanium tetraisopropoxide and water. A comparative study between the efficacy of the two metal oxides and their commercial counterparts, which were used as a benchmark, in removing the two antibiotics from model and the River Clyde water samples was undertaken in this work. The impregnation and doping effects using different dopants were also investigated.

Biogenic iron oxide (BIOX) constitutes another waste material that is produced naturally by Leptothrix bacteria, and it holds significant potential in environmental management. These naturally derived materials offer a sustainable and eco-friendly substitute for synthetic iron oxides, with promising applications in water purification, pollution control, and resource recovery. Pristine, calcined, and BIOX materials reduced under different gas mixtures were investigated in this study. The effect of seasonal variation on the efficiency of BIOX materials was also covered. Additionally, the catalytic effect of BIOX and red mud-based iron oxides was tested for ammonia synthesis.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Supported by funding from Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MM32/21) represented by the Egyptian Bureau for Cultural & Educational Affairs in London.
• Subjects: Q Science > QD Chemistry
• Colleges/Schools: College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry
• Funder's Name: Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research
• Supervisor's Name: Hargreaves, Professor Justin
• Date of Award: 2026
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2026-85706
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 23 Jan 2026 11:03
• Last Modified: 25 Jan 2026 09:04
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85706
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85706