Understanding the solid-liquid equilibria between paracetamol and activated carbon: Thermodynamic approach of the interactions adsorbent-adsorbate using equilibrium, kinetic and calorimetry data

Performance of Pristine versus Magnetized Orange Peels Biochar Adapted to Adsorptive Removal of Daunorubicin: Eco-Structuring, Kinetics and Equilibrium Studies

Drugs and pharmaceuticals are an emergent class of aquatic contaminants. The existence of these pollutants in aquatic bodies is currently raising escalating concerns because of their negative impact on the ecosystem. This study investigated the efficacy of two sorbents derived from orange peels (OP) biochar (OPBC) for the removal of the antineoplastic drug daunorubicin (DNB) from pharmaceutical wastewater. The adsorbents included pristine (OPBC) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄)-impregnated (MAG-OPBC) biochars. Waste-derived materials offer a sustainable and cost-effective solution to wastewater bioremediation. The results showed that impregnation with Fe₃O₄ altered the crystallization degree and increased the surface area from 6.99 m²/g in OPBC to 60.76 m²/g in the case of MAG-OPBC. Placket-Burman Design (PBD) was employed to conduct batch adsorption experiments. The removal efficiency of MAG-OPBC (98.51%) was higher compared to OPBC (86.46%). DNB adsorption onto OPBC followed the D-R isotherm, compared to the Langmuir isotherm in the case of MAG-OPBC. The maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) was 172.43 mg/g for MAG-OPBC and 83.75 mg/g for OPBC. The adsorption kinetics for both sorbents fitted well with the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model. The results indicate that MAG-OPBC is a promising adsorbent for treating pharmaceutical wastewater.

Adsorption of the First-Line Covid Treatment Analgesic onto Activated Carbon from Residual Pods of Erythrina Speciosa

In this study, the residual pods of the forest species Erythrina speciosa were carbonized with ZnCl₂ to obtain porous activated carbon and investigated for the adsorptive removal of the drug paracetamol (PCM) from water. The PCM adsorption onto activated carbon is favored at acidic solution pH. The isothermal studies confirmed that increasing the temperature from 298 to 328 K decreased the adsorption capacity from 65 mg g^-1 to 50.4 mg g^-1 (C₀ = 175 mg L^-1). The Freundlich model showed a better fit of the equilibrium isotherms. Thermodynamic studies confirmed the exothermic nature (ΔH⁰ = -39.1066 kJ mol^-1). Kinetic data indicates that the external mass transfer occurs in the first minutes followed by the surface diffusion, considering that the linear driving force model described the experimental data. The application of the material in the treatment of a simulated effluent with natural conditions was promising, presenting a removal of 76.45%. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of residual pods of the forest species Erythrina speciosa carbonized with ZnCl₂ is highly efficient in the removal of the drug paracetamol and also in mixtures containing other pharmaceutical substances.