Rapid and Effective Ultrasonic‐Assisted Adsorptive Removal of Congo Red onto MOF‐5 Modified by CuCl 2 in Ambient Conditions: Adsorption Isotherms and Kinetics Studies

UV-assisted photochemical transformation of a tetranuclear copper(II) complex: a DFT supported study on β-lactamase inhibitory activity towards antibiotic resistance

Herein, we present a dark-green crystalline tetranuclear Cu(II) Schiff base complex {C1 = [Cu4L4](ClO4)4(DMF)4(H2O)} using a N,N,O donor ligand (HL), namely 2-(((2-hydroxypropyl)imino)methyl)-6-methoxyphenol. Spectro-photometrical investigation on the β-lactamase-like activity of this coordinately saturated system revealed its catalytic inefficiency towards hydrolysis of nitrocefin as a model substrate. This complex has attracted significant interest as a promising photo-catalyst owing to its narrow band gap (2.40 eV) as predicted from DFT calculations and its higher responsivity towards UV light. Therefore, C1 is effectively involved in the photocatalytic reduction of perchlorate to Cl- in the presence of a hole scavenger (H2O-MeOH) under prolonged UV irradiation and itself becomes photo-cleaved to yield a new dark-brown colored chlorobridged dinuclear crystalline complex C2 {[CuL(H2O)2Cl3]H2O}. Furthermore, C2 was deployed as a functional β-lactamase model and was found to show a remarkable catalytic proficiency towards the hydrolysis of nitrocefin in 70 : 30 (V/V) MeOH-H2O medium. This pro-catalyst C2 has been speculated to generate an aqua bridged active catalyst that plays a crucial factor in hydrolysis. This phenomenon was again experimentally established by potentiometric pH titration where C2 displays only one pKa value (7.11) in the basic pH range, indicating the deprotonation of the bridged water molecule. Based on several other kinetic studies, it may be postulated that the hydrolysis of nitrocefin is initiated by the nucleophilic attack of a bridging hydroxide, followed by very fast protonation of the intermediate to furnish the hydrolyzed product. It is noteworthy that the rate of nitrocefin hydrolysis is greatly inhibited in the presence of external chloride concentration. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the photochemical behavior of such a tetranuclear copper(II) Schiff base complex. Our current interest is focused on inventing a potent β-lactamase inhibitory therapeutic as well as elucidating its mechanism through comprehensive chemical analysis.

Preparation of a novel CSM@ZIF-67 composite microsphere to facilitate Congo red adsorption from dyeing wastewater

ABSTRACTChitosan (CS) is commonly used as an adsorbent for wastewater treatment because of its low cost, strong adsorption properties, and high availability of raw materials required for its production. However, CS exhibits limited adaptability to pH, poor mechanical properties, and high swelling in aqueous media; these limitations restrict its widespread use. To address these issues, herein, zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) is loaded onto crosslinked CS microspheres (CSM) to prepare CSM@ZIF-67, a composite adsorbent. Next, the CSM@ZIF-67 is applied to the treatment of Congo red (CR) dye, which is typically present in printing and dyeing wastewater. The results demonstrate that the in situ synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) on CSM improve the dispersion of MOFs and preserve the morphology of the MOFs. The adsorption equilibrium of CSM@ZIF-67 is reached within 150 min, and its adsorption capacity is as high as 538.4 mg/g at a pH of 9 and temperature of 25 °C. The CR adsorption process is consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models, thus revealing that chemisorption is the primary rate-limiting step, and the pollutants are adsorbed on the adsorbent surface in a monolayer. Experiments on material cycling and regeneration performance reveal that the removal efficiency of CSM@ZIF-67 remains above 90%, even after five rounds of adsorption. CSM@ZIF-67 has abundant functional groups and adsorption sites and can efficiently remove CR through mutual interactions between the metal coordination effect, π-π conjugation, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interactions.

High-Sensitivity Creatinine Detection via a Dual-Emission Ratiometric Fluorescence Probe Incorporating Amino-MIL-53@Mo/ZIF-8 and Rhodamine B

Quantifying creatinine (Cn) in biological fluids is crucial for clinically assessing renal insufficiency, thyroid irregularities, and muscle damage. Therefore, it is crucial for human health to have a simple, quick, and accurate Cn analysis technique. In this study, we have successfully synthesized a 3D ratiometric dual-metal-organic framework, namely, the amino-MIL-53@Mo/ZIF-8 and rhodamie B heterostructure, using an internal strategy for sustained growth. The dual-MOF functions as an adsorbent and preconcentrates Cn. The pH, reaction time, and volume ratio of amino-MIL-53@Mo/ZIF-8/rhodamie B were optimized using the one-variable-at-a-time technique in this study. The quantitative study of the Cn concentration for this RF biosensor was obtained under ideal conditions (R2 = 0.9962, n = 3), encompassing the linear range of 0.35-11.1 μM. The detection and quantitation limits were 0.18 and 0.54 nM, respectively. Both intra- and interday reproducibility showed high repeatability of the RF biosensor, UV-vis, and ZETA potential studies, and the Stern-Volmer relationship was used to clarify the fluorescence quenching process. These superior sensing capabilities and the benefits of simple manufacturing, acceptable stability, and practicality make the RF biosensor intriguing for ultrasensitive Cn detection in practical applications.

Sonoactivated Nanomaterials: A potent armament for wastewater treatment

The world is currently facing a critical issue of water pollution, with wastewater being a major contributor. It comes from different types of pollutants, including industrial, medical, agricultural, and domestic. Effective treatment of wastewater requires efficient degradation of pollutants and carcinogens prior to discharge. Commonly used methods for wastewater treatment include filtration, adsorption, biodegradation, advanced oxidation processes, and Fenton oxidation, among others.The sonochemical effect refers to the decomposition, oxidation, reduction, and other reactions of pollutant molecules in wastewater upon ultrasound activation, achieving pollutants removal. Furthermore, the micro-flow effect generated by ultrasonic waves creates tiny bubbles and eddies. This significantly increases the contact area and exchange speed of pollutants and dissolved oxygen, thereby accelerating pollutant degradation. Currently, ultrasonic-assisted technology has emerged as a promising approach due to its strong oxidation ability, simple and cheap equipments, and minimal secondary pollution. However, the use of ultrasound in wastewater treatment has some limitations, such as high energy consumption, lengthy treatment time, limited water treatment capacity, stringent water quality requirements, and unstable treatment effects. To address these issues, the combination of enhanced ultrasound with nanotechnology is proposed and has shown great potential in wastewater treatment. Such a combination can greatly improve the efficiency of ultrasonic oxidation, resulting in an improved performance of wastewater purification. This article presents recent progress in the development of sonoactivated nanomaterials for enhanced wastewater disposal. Such nanomaterials are systematically classified and discussed. Potential challenges and future prospects of this emerging technology are also highlighted.

Synthesis of an IRMOF-1@SiO2 Core-Shell and Amino-Functionalization with APTES for the Adsorption of Urea and Creatinine Using a Fixed-Bed Column Study

Kidney dysfunction is a clinical disease that disables the kidneys to remove the waste products and uremic toxins from the circulation and may lead to fatal kidney failure. Hemodialysis is advantageous in this circumstance since it prevents the accumulation of waste products in the body and facilitates the removal of uremic toxins. However, hemodialysis cannot entirely remove some uremic toxins, such as urea and creatinine. In this paper, a high-performance fixed-bed column for urea and creatinine removal was offered. As a result, a MOF layer was built on SiO₂, which was then amino-functionalized using APTES. Numerous assays were used to characterize the final adsorbent. The adsorption of urea and creatinine was evaluated in batch and continuous conditions. Thus, it was demonstrated that the adsorption behavior of A(0.2)-IRMOF-1@SiO₂ followed the Langmuir isotherm, and it exhibited the maximum adsorption capacity. The batch experiment determined that urea and creatinine had an adsorption capacity of 1325.73 and 625.00 mg·g^-1, respectively. The adsorption capacity was increased, which was due to the presence of amino groups (APTES) on the MOF surface. The continuous operation was evaluated using the A(0.2)-IRMOF-1@SiO₂ fixed-bed column. Thomas and Nelson's models were examined to achieve a better understanding of the adsorption behaviors. The A(0.2)-IRMOF-1@SiO₂ fixed-bed column successfully removed 92.57% of urea and 80.47% of creatinine. The separation factor for urea in comparison to creatinine was 2.40 in the A(0.2)-IRMOF-1@SiO₂ fixed-bed column.

Covalent Organic Framework as a Metal-Free Photocatalyst for Dye Degradation and Radioactive Iodine Adsorption

Exploring a covalent organic framework (COF) material as an efficient metal-free photocatalyst and as an adsorbent for the removal of pollutants from contaminated water is very challenging in the context of sustainable chemistry. Herein, we report a new porous crystalline COF, C₆-TRZ-TPA COF, via segregation of donor-acceptor moieties through the extended Schiff base condensation between tris(4-formylphenyl)amine and 4,4',4″-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)trianiline. This COF displayed a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 1058 m² g^-1 with a pore volume of 0.73 cc g^-1. Again, extended π-conjugation, the presence of heteroatoms throughout the framework, and a narrow band gap of 2.2 eV, all these features collectively work for the environmental remediation in two different perspectives: it could harness solar energy for environmental clean-up, where the COF has been explored as a robust metal-free photocatalyst for wastewater treatment and as an adsorbent for iodine capture. In our endeavor of wastewater treatment, we have conducted the photodegradation of rose bengal (RB) and methylene blue (MB) as model pollutants since these are extremely toxic, are health hazard, and bioaccumulative in nature. The catalyst C₆-TRZ-TPA COF showed a very high catalytic efficiency of 99% towards the degradation of 250 parts per million (ppm) of RB solution in 80 min under visible light irradiation with the rate constant of 0.05 min^-1. Further, C₆-TRZ-TPA COF is found to be an excellent adsorbent as it efficiently adsorbed radioactive iodine from its solution as well as from the vapor phase. The material exhibits a very rapid iodine capturing tendency with an outstanding iodine vapor uptake capacity of 4832 mg g^-1.

Adsorption efficacy of functionalized Cu-BDC MOFs tethered 2-mercaptobenzimidazole analogue: A comparative study

A novel metal-organic framework [MOFs], and 2-[benzo [d]thiazol-2-ylthio)-3-hydroxy acrylaldehyde-Cu-benzene dicarboxylic acid was synthesized by solvothermal method and characterized using p-XRD, FSEM-EDX, TGA, BET, FTIR. The tethered organic linker, 2-[benzo [d]thiazol-2-ylthio)-3-hydroxyacrylaldehyde was commonly known as 2-mercaptobenimidazole analogue [2-MBIA]. Analysis of BET disclosed that addition of 2-MBIA to Cu-benzene dicarboxylic acid [Cu-BDC], reduced the crystallite size from 70.0 nm to 65.90 nm, surface area from 17.95 to 17.02 m² g^-1 and enhances the pore size from 5.84 nm with 0.027 cm³ g^-1 pore volume to 8.74 nm with 0.361 cm³ g^-1 pore volume. Batch experiments were conducted to optimize pH, adsorbent dosage, and, Congo red (CR) concentration. The adsorption percentage of CR on the novel MOFs was 54%. Adsorption kinetic studies revealed that the uptake adsorption capacity at equilibrium was 184.7 mg/g from pseudo-first-order kinetics which gave a good fit with the experimental data. Intraparticle diffusion model explained the process of the adsorption mechanism: diffusion from the bulk solution onto the porous surface of the adsorbent. Freundlich and Sips models were the best fit models of the several non-linear isotherm models. Temkin isotherm suggested the adsorption of CR on MOFs was of an exothermic nature.

Amine-functionalized MOF-derived carbon materials for efficient removal of Congo red dye from aqueous solutions: simulation and adsorption studies

In this study, a novel polyethyleneimine (PEI) modified MOF-derived carbon adsorbent (PEI@MDC) was proposed, which exhibited significant adsorption capacity for Congo Red (CR) in aqueous solutions. FT-IR and XPS results showed that PEI was successfully grafted onto MDC, increasing the content of amine groups on the surface of MDC. The adsorption process conformed to the Langmuir isotherm adsorption model and pseudo-second-order kinetic equation, indicating that the adsorption of CR on PEI@MDC was covered by a single layer, and the adsorption process was controlled by chemical processes. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity at 30 °C was 1723.86 mg g^-1. Hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions between CR and PEI@MDC surface functional groups were the main mechanisms controlling the adsorption process. After five adsorption-desorption cycles, PEI@MDC still showed a high adsorption capacity for CR, indicating that the adsorbent had an excellent regeneration ability.

Optimization of Ethanol-Based Extraction Process for Duliang Formula by Central Composite Design and Response Surface Methodology

Background: Compound medicines (traditional Chinese medicines [TCM] formulae) are the main means of treating diseases in TCM. Now, for the convenience of clinical use, there are a lot of Chinese patent medicines (proprietary Chinese medicine) on the market. However, the preparation of Chinese patent medicine needs to solve 2 key problems. One is as far as possible to keep crude drug's active ingredients, and the second is the cost control of industrialization; in this article, the extraction process for the proprietary Chinese medicine of the classic TCM formula, Duliang formula, has been studied effectively. Objective: To investigate the optimal ethanol-based extraction process for Duliang formula by central composite design and response surface methodology. Materials and methods: Central composite design was used to carry out a 3-factor 5-level study for a comprehensive evaluation of the extraction process of Duliang formula after normalization processing, with the ethanol concentration, solvent volume, duration, and times of extraction as investigation factors to consider; also, the contents of imperatorin, ferulic acid, and extract yield were determined as Quality Control indicators. Multiple linear regression, binomial fitting, and response surface methodology were used to analyze and determine the optimal ethanol-based extraction process for Duliang formula and predict its extraction parameters. Results: The determined optimal ethanol-based extraction process was thermal reflux extraction twice with 11 times of 90% ethanol for 2.5 h each time. The overall desirability for the “Normalization Value” evaluation was 0.7681, with a deviation of −0.99% (<5%) compared with the predicted value (0.7758). Conclusions: The determined ethanol-based extraction process for Duliang formula was easy and convenient, with stable, accurate, reliable parameters and reasonable predictability, and could serve as a reference for the industrial production of Duliang formula.

An Effective Biomass for the Adsorption of Methylene Blue Dye and Treatment of River Water

Neolamarckia cadamba leaves were used as an adsorbent for methylene blue removal as well as for the reduction in the water quality parameters of the sewage belts of Yamuna River in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. A variety of water quality parameters were assessed, including chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, conductivity, hardness, pH, and temperature. A great deal of degradation in the water quality parameters collected from three locations within the Yamuna River in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, has been observed by treating with Neolamarckia cadamba leaves. The adsorption studies were carried out by the batch method, and the effect of various parameters such as contact time, pH, initial concentration, and temperature was assessed. The maximum removal of methylene blue was obtained at pH 5 after 120 minutes of equilibrium time. In addition to fitting the Langmuir isotherm most accurately, the adsorbent also followed pseudokinetics of the second order. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of used biomass was 101 mg/g using 50 mg/L methylene blue solution. It is evident from the thermodynamic data that the adsorption is exothermic. Also, the spontaneity of the interaction between adsorbent and adsorbate decreases with temperature. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques were used to characterize the adsorbent. SEM images revealed that the biomass consisted of irregular spherical lumps with a porous structure, which provided effective adsorption sites. A chemical composition analysis of the biomass by EDAX shows that the chemical composition of oxygen and carbon decreases, whereas nitrogen’s chemical composition increases.

Metal-Organic Framework Materials for Electrochemical Supercapacitors

Exploring new materials with high stability and capacity is full of challenges in sustainable energy conversion and storage systems. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as a new type of porous material, show the advantages of large specific surface area, high porosity, low density, and adjustable pore size, exhibiting a broad application prospect in the field of electrocatalytic reactions, batteries, particularly in the field of supercapacitors. This comprehensive review outlines the recent progress in synthetic methods and electrochemical performances of MOF materials, as well as their applications in supercapacitors. Additionally, the superiorities of MOFs-related materials are highlighted, while major challenges or opportunities for future research on them for electrochemical supercapacitors have been discussed and displayed, along with extensive experimental experiences.

Synthesis of NMOF-5 Using Microwave and Coating with Chitosan: A Smart Biocompatible pH-Responsive Nanocarrier for 6-Mercaptopurine Release on MCF-7 Cell Lines

Cancer is one of the most difficult diseases to treat, threatening the lives of millions of people today. So far, various methods have been used to treat cancer, each having its drawbacks. One of these methods is treatment with anticancer drugs, which unfortunately have severe side effects. One of the causes of these complications is the nonspecific effects of anticancer drugs, which attack normal cells in addition to cancer cells and damage healthy tissues. In this study, we are trying to reduce the side effects and increase the efficacy of the drug by providing smart drug delivery. The metal-organic framework (MOF) was rapidly synthesized using a microwave method and at the nanoscale. The particle size of NMOF-5 was 18-20 nm, and its surface area was 2690 m²·g^-1. A chitosan polymer coating was formed on the nanocarrier after 6-mercaptopurine was introduced. The biocompatible nanocarrier exhibited a high capacity to adsorb the drug. The biocompatible nanocarrier slowly and uniformly released 96.78% of the drug in a simulated solution at pH 5 and 20.52% at pH 7.4. This showed that CS-6-MP-NMOF-5 released the drug smartly and pH-sensitively. The stability of the biocompatible nanocarrier was studied at different pH values and remained stable at pH 5 for up to 48 h. The toxicity study of the MCF-7 cell line at different concentrations for 24 h showed the excellent performance of the biocompatible nanocarrier compared to the free drug in terms of toxicity to breast cancer cells.

Biosorption Study of Methylene Blue (MB) and Brilliant Red Remazol (BRR) by Coconut Dregs

Water pollution has become a major issue in many countries, including Malaysia. Malaysia is one of the countries that suffers from this detrimental influence on water resource sustainability. Adsorption has been discovered to be a cost-effective and efficient method of removing contaminants such as pigments, dyes, and metal impurities. Many biomass-based adsorbent materials have been successfully used for the removal of dyes from aqueous solutions. In this study, the potential use of coconut dregs as the new biosorbent for the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) (basic dye) and Brilliant Red Remazol (BRR) (acidic dye) was investigated. The effects of adsorption time, adsorbent dosage, pH, and initial dye concentration on coconut dregs adsorption for MB and BRR dye were investigated using 2-Level Factorial Design of Design-Expert 7.1.5. The results indicated that the amount of dye adsorbed on the coconut dregs increased with increasing dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, and adsorption time. However, both MB and BRR dyes favor different pH for the adsorption process. The adsorption capacity of MB dye increased with increasing pH, while the adsorption capacity of BRR dye increased with decreasing pH. Removal of MB was optimum at pH 11, contact time of 240 min, a dosage of 0.25 g adsorbent, and an initial dye concentration of 50 mg/L. Meanwhile, for BRR dye, the optimum condition was pH 2, contact time of 180 min, the dosage of 0.25 g adsorbent, and an initial dye concentration of 50 mg/L. The equilibrium data for both dyes fitted very well with the Langmuir Isotherm equation giving a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity as high as 5.7208 mg/g and 3.7636 mg/g for Methylene Blue Dye and Brilliant Red Remazol dye, respectively. This study shows that coconut dregs can be one of the potential and low-cost biosorbents for the treatment of industrial dyes soon.

Novel Wastewater Treatment by Using Newly Prepared Green Seaweed-Zeolite Nanocomposite

A dependent step-by-step study that included experimental and field study was applied to explore the simplest and most effective system that could be applied for adsorption of Congo Red (CR) dye from the effluent of wastewater that comes out from different industries. Zeolite (Z) surface and pores were subjected to a modification process using green seaweed (GS) algae. Thereafter, each Z, GS, and composite from both were evaluated based on the adsorption efficacy to clean up CR dyes from aqueous solutions. A wet impregnation method was followed to fabricate the zeolite/algae (ZGS) nanocomposite which was characterized using the most appropriate characterization techniques. Batch experiments were selected to be the method of choice in order to follow up the performance of the adsorption process versus different practical variables. Moreover, dye adsorption kinetics and isotherms were investigated as well. At lowered concentrations of CR, the novel nanocomposite ZGS revealed more efficacy than its counterparts, Z and GS, in terms of the adsorption capacity. The maximum adsorption capacities were found to be 8.10, 10.30, and 19.70 mg/g for Z, GS, and ZGS, respectively. Laboratory tests confirmed that the novel nanocomposite ZGS could be introduced as a new and economical nanoadsorbent to capture and remove negatively charged dyes from wastewater effluents that come out from industries at lower concentrations of CR dye and analogous compounds. The dye adsorption on GS, Z, and ZGS coincide with the pseudo-first, Langmuir isotherm, and second-order models. Evaluation for the sorption mechanism was conducted using a diffusion model known as Weber's intraparticle. Depending on the last findings, field experiments on removing dyes from industrial wastewater revealed optimistic findings as the efficiency of our modern and eco-friendly nanoadsorbent reached 91.11%, which helps in the reuse of industrial wastewater.

Instant pH sensor based on the functionalized cellulose for detecting strong acid leaks

Acid spills cause large-scale environmental damage and casualties. To respond to such incidents, a sensor capable of detecting acid leaks is required. Cellulose is a useful substrate material for the fast detection of acid leaks because it has high hydrophilicity and porosity. On the other hand, methods of manufacturing cellulose-based sensors are still complicated or time-consuming. Thus, in this study, a simple and rapid synthesis method for a cellulose-based pH sensor was proposed. The functionalization of α-cellulose was achieved via chloroacetyl chloride, and Congo red was covalently immobilized to the functionalized cellulose for detecting strong acids. The manufacturing process was composed of two steps as above and finished within 8 h. The developed sensor exhibited absorbance changes in the pH range of 0.2 to 3.0, and response time was shorter than 1 s. A prototype system using this sensor was manufactured and tested, and it detected acid leaks easily and quickly.

Adsorptive decontamination of doxycycline hydrochloride via Prosopis juliflora activated carbon: Parameter optimization and disposal study

This study deals with the removal of doxycycline hydrochloride (DOX) antibiotic, from aqueous environment by using Prosopis juliflora activated carbon (PJAC). PJAC was synthesized by chemical activation and pyrolysis of Prosopis juliflora. It was characterized by employing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) techniques. The specific surface area, pore volume, and pore diameter were evaluated as 320.45 m² /g, 0.176 cm³ /g, and 2.65 nm, respectively. Different functional groups (O-H, C-O, C=C, C-N, and C-C) present on PJAC promoted the adsorption of DOX. The influence of various adsorption parameters suggested by central composite design (CCD) model was determined using response surface methodology (RSM), and interactive effects of these were optimized. The thermodynamic and kinetic studies performed at optimized conditions, exhibited that adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic. The experimental data were well described with Langmuir, Redlich-Peterson, and Freundlich isotherm models while kinetics data were well described by pseudo second order. The excellent interactions between the PJAC and DOX resulted maximum adsorption capacity as 57.11 mg/g. The adsorption mechanisms was dominated by π - π interactions and hydrogen bonding. Moreover, almost complete encapsulation of DOX was achieved by stabilization of exhausted PJAC. PRACTITIONER POINTS: A wild harmful plant Prosopis juliflora was used to synthesize a low-cost and eco-friendly bio-sorbent PJAC. Adsorptive ability of PJAC was quantified for adsorption of DOX antibiotic from its aqueous solution. DOX uptake on PJAC was mainly governed by л-л EDA interactions and hydrogen bonding.

Three novel Co(II)-based MOFs: Syntheses, structural diversity, and adsorption properties

In this paper, three new cobalt-based metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with different topologies, namely {[Co(HL)(tib)(H2O)]·2H2O}n (1), [Co3(L)2(bibp)4(H2O)2]n (2) and [Co2(L)(bip)(μ3-OH)]n (3) (H3L = 3-(3,5-dicarboxylphenoxy)-6-carboxylpyridine, tib = 1,3,5-tirs(1-imidazolyl)benzene, bibp = 4,4'-bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl,...

Optimizing the Desorption Technology of Total Flavonoids of Ginkgo Biloba from Separating Materials of Activated Carbon

Activated carbon adsorption is one of the processes used to produce ginkgolides from the extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGB) in most enterprises. However, the problem is that the ginkgolides can be eluted by ethanol after the Ginkgo biloba extracts are adsorbed by activated carbon, while total ginkgo flavonoids (TGFs) would form dead adsorption, leading to the ineffective utilization of TGFs. In this paper, the maximum adsorption capacity of TGFs by activated carbon was 226.7 mg/g activated carbon at pH 5, and the adsorption of TGFs was easier and more favorable to monolayer adsorption. On this basis, the technical process of desorption of TGFs from activated carbon preparation technology was optimized by using the response surface optimization technique. Under the optimum process (the elution volume was 116.75 mL, the ethanol concentration in the eluent was 73.4%, the elution temperature was 31.5 °C, and the ammonia concentration was 5.7%), the desorption rate of TGFs was 74.56%. Scanning electron microscopy morphological analysis showed that the used activated carbon had a wide pore size distribution, with the micropore pore size mainly concentrated around 0.64 and 1.00 nm and the mesopore pore size mainly concentrated between 2.89 and 39.5 nm. In addition, the molecular weight of ginkgo flavonoids is mainly distributed between 500 and 1000 Da, which can be transported to the micropores through the mesopore channels. On the other hand, there is a force between the flavonoids and the acidic oxygen-containing functional groups on the pore surface, which is the main reason for the formation of dead adsorption. The obtained results contribute to further improving the process of adsorbing and desorbing TGFs from EGB and lay a foundation for the development of more suitable activated carbon.