Study of the Influence of the Wastewater Matrix in the Adsorption of Three Pharmaceuticals by Powdered Activated Carbon
The use of powdered activated carbon (PAC) as an absorbent has become a promising option to upgrade wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that were not designed to remove pharmaceuticals. However, PAC adsorption mechanisms are not yet fully understood, especially with regard to the nature of the waste...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/5/2098 |
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| author | Marina Gutiérrez Paola Verlicchi Dragana Mutavdžić Pavlović |
| author_facet | Marina Gutiérrez Paola Verlicchi Dragana Mutavdžić Pavlović |
| author_sort | Marina Gutiérrez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The use of powdered activated carbon (PAC) as an absorbent has become a promising option to upgrade wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that were not designed to remove pharmaceuticals. However, PAC adsorption mechanisms are not yet fully understood, especially with regard to the nature of the wastewater. In this study, we tested the adsorption of three pharmaceuticals, namely diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, onto PAC under four different water matrices: ultra-pure water, humic acid solution, effluent and mixed liquor from a real WWTP. The adsorption affinity was defined primarily by the pharmaceutical physicochemical properties (charge and hydrophobicity), with better results obtained for trimethoprim, followed by diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole. In ultra-pure water, the results show that all pharmaceuticals followed pseudo-second order kinetics, and they were limited by a boundary layer effect on the surface of the adsorbent. Depending on the water matrix and compound, the PAC capacity and the adsorption process varied accordingly. The higher adsorption capacity was observed for diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole in humic acid solution (Langmuir isotherm, <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> > 0.98), whereas better results were obtained for trimethoprim in the WWTP effluent. Adsorption in mixed liquor (Freundlich isotherm, <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> > 0.94) was limited, presumably due to its complex nature and the presence of suspended solids. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:17:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-04fbe54d210a4fc99794216e21c73863 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:17:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-04fbe54d210a4fc99794216e21c738632023-11-17T08:11:58ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492023-02-01285209810.3390/molecules28052098Study of the Influence of the Wastewater Matrix in the Adsorption of Three Pharmaceuticals by Powdered Activated CarbonMarina Gutiérrez0Paola Verlicchi1Dragana Mutavdžić Pavlović2Department of Engineering, University of Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University of Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Trg Marka Marulića 19, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaThe use of powdered activated carbon (PAC) as an absorbent has become a promising option to upgrade wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that were not designed to remove pharmaceuticals. However, PAC adsorption mechanisms are not yet fully understood, especially with regard to the nature of the wastewater. In this study, we tested the adsorption of three pharmaceuticals, namely diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, onto PAC under four different water matrices: ultra-pure water, humic acid solution, effluent and mixed liquor from a real WWTP. The adsorption affinity was defined primarily by the pharmaceutical physicochemical properties (charge and hydrophobicity), with better results obtained for trimethoprim, followed by diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole. In ultra-pure water, the results show that all pharmaceuticals followed pseudo-second order kinetics, and they were limited by a boundary layer effect on the surface of the adsorbent. Depending on the water matrix and compound, the PAC capacity and the adsorption process varied accordingly. The higher adsorption capacity was observed for diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole in humic acid solution (Langmuir isotherm, <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> > 0.98), whereas better results were obtained for trimethoprim in the WWTP effluent. Adsorption in mixed liquor (Freundlich isotherm, <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> > 0.94) was limited, presumably due to its complex nature and the presence of suspended solids.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/5/2098adsorptiondiclofenacsulfamethoxazoletrimethoprimdissolved organic matterpowdered activated carbon |
| spellingShingle | Marina Gutiérrez Paola Verlicchi Dragana Mutavdžić Pavlović Study of the Influence of the Wastewater Matrix in the Adsorption of Three Pharmaceuticals by Powdered Activated Carbon Molecules adsorption diclofenac sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim dissolved organic matter powdered activated carbon |
| title | Study of the Influence of the Wastewater Matrix in the Adsorption of Three Pharmaceuticals by Powdered Activated Carbon |
| title_full | Study of the Influence of the Wastewater Matrix in the Adsorption of Three Pharmaceuticals by Powdered Activated Carbon |
| title_fullStr | Study of the Influence of the Wastewater Matrix in the Adsorption of Three Pharmaceuticals by Powdered Activated Carbon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Study of the Influence of the Wastewater Matrix in the Adsorption of Three Pharmaceuticals by Powdered Activated Carbon |
| title_short | Study of the Influence of the Wastewater Matrix in the Adsorption of Three Pharmaceuticals by Powdered Activated Carbon |
| title_sort | study of the influence of the wastewater matrix in the adsorption of three pharmaceuticals by powdered activated carbon |
| topic | adsorption diclofenac sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim dissolved organic matter powdered activated carbon |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/5/2098 |
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