Continuous and funnel-gate configurations of a permeable reactive barrier for reclamation of groundwater laden with tetracycline: experimental and simulation approaches

The current study investigates removing tetracycline from water using batch, column, and tank experiments with statistical modelling using ANN for continuous tests. An artificial neural network (ANN) using the Levenberg-Marquardt back-propagation (LMA) training algorithm is constructed to compare the effectiveness of Tetracycline removal from aqueous solution using the sorption technique with prepared adsorbent. Several characterization analyses XRD, FT-IR, and SEM are employed for prepared Brownmillerite (Ca₂Fe₂O₅)-Na alginate beads. The operating conditions of batch tests involved, contact time (0.1-3 h), initial of tetracycline (C_o) of (100-250 mg/L), pH (3-12), agitation speed (50-250) rpm and dosage of adsorbent (0.2-1.2 g/50 mL). The outcomes of experiments have demonstrated that the optimum conditions for the batch test to achieve the maximum adsorbent capacity (q_max =7.845 mg/g) are achieved at pH 7, contact time 1.5 h, adsorbent dose 1.2 g/50 mL, agitation speed of 200 rpm, and initial concentration of TC 100 mg/L. Minimum mean square error (MSE) values of 7.09E-04 for 30 hidden neurons and 0.0029 for 59 hidden neurons in the 1D and 2D systems are accomplished, respectively. The artificial neural network model has exhibited excellent performance with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.980 for the operating variables, demonstrating its accuracy and effectiveness in predicting the experimental outcomes. According to sensitivity analysis, the influential parameter in the column test (1D) is the flow rate (mL/min), with a relative importance of 32.769%. However, in the tank test (2D), time (day) is signified as an influential parameter with a relative importance of 31.207%.