BACKGROUND Drug-based micropollutants present in water sources are proven to be persistent, bioactive and toxic even at low concentration for human consumption. Therefore, the complete removal of the drugs from water is crucial to avoid long-term medical complications. In the present study, a novel sericin-coated adsorptive microfiltration (MF) membrane is used for the removal of drug-based micropollutants. RESULTS The sericin-coated membrane was tested for removal of different classes of drugs from water. The membrane completely removed NSAIDs and antibiotics from water at 20 mu g L-1 concentration. The adsorption mechanism was profoundly influenced by charge-based interaction and hydrogen bonding, hence charged anionic drugs were more effectively removed than uncharged drugs. In multidrug mixtures, the removal efficiency was observed in the following sequence; ibuprofen > diclofenac > amoxicillin > ciprofloxacin > estrone > beta-estradiol. Desorption of the drugs from the membrane surface can be effectively controlled by altering the pH of the membrane-cleaning solution. Presence of other inorganic salts in the aqueous drug solution did not interfere with the removal efficiency of the sericin-coated membrane. The performance of sericin-coated membrane was studied using continuous adsorptive membrane filtration approach. The dynamic adsorption behavior of a fixed-bed membrane column was predicted using Bohart-Adams model. The model can predict the adsorption breakthrough curve with minimum experimental error. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals the unique application of sericin-coated MF membrane for effective removal of drug-based micropollutants from water, and demonstrates its easy regeneration and effectiveness for multiple cycles of filtration. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry