Application of Sludge-Based Activated Carbons for the Effective Adsorption of Neonicotinoid Pesticides
The amount of sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has increased over the years, and the methods used to reduce this waste, such as incineration, agricultural use, or disposal in landfills, cause problems of secondary pollution. For this reason, it is necessary to find sustainable...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/3087 |
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| author | Eva Sanz-Santos Silvia Álvarez-Torrellas Lucía Ceballos Marcos Larriba V. Ismael Águeda Juan García |
| author_facet | Eva Sanz-Santos Silvia Álvarez-Torrellas Lucía Ceballos Marcos Larriba V. Ismael Águeda Juan García |
| author_sort | Eva Sanz-Santos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The amount of sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has increased over the years, and the methods used to reduce this waste, such as incineration, agricultural use, or disposal in landfills, cause problems of secondary pollution. For this reason, it is necessary to find sustainable and low-cost solutions to manage this waste. Additionally, emerging and priority pollutants are attracting attention from the scientific community as they can generate health problems due to inadequate removal in conventional WWTPs. In this work, a pharmaceutical industry sludge was used as a precursor in the synthesis of four activated carbons (ACs) using different activating agents (ZnCl<sub>2</sub>, FeCl<sub>3</sub>∙6H<sub>2</sub>O, Fe(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>∙9H<sub>2</sub>O, and Fe(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub>∙H<sub>2</sub>O), to be used for the removal by adsorption of three neonicotinoid pesticides included in latest EU Watch List (Decision 2018/840): acetamiprid (ACT), thiamethoxam (THM), and imidacloprid (IMD). The prepared ACs showed micro–mesoporous properties, obtaining relatively slow adsorption kinetics to reach equilibrium, but despite this, high values of adsorption capacity (q<sub>e</sub>) were obtained. For example, for AC-ZnCl<sub>2</sub> (S<sub>BET</sub> = 558 m<sup>2</sup>/g), high adsorption capacities of q<sub>e</sub> = 128.9, 126.8, and 166.1 mg/g for ACT, THM, and IMD, respectively, were found. In most cases, the adsorption isotherms showed a multilayer profile, indicating an important contribution of the mesoporosity of the activated carbons in the adsorption process. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:45:28Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:45:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-5806f1c83d9943718052dc66fc153b922023-11-21T13:30:00ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172021-03-01117308710.3390/app11073087Application of Sludge-Based Activated Carbons for the Effective Adsorption of Neonicotinoid PesticidesEva Sanz-Santos0Silvia Álvarez-Torrellas1Lucía Ceballos2Marcos Larriba3V. Ismael Águeda4Juan García5Catalysis and Separation Processes Group (CyPS), Chemical Engineering and Materials Department, Faculty of Chemistry Sciences, Complutense University, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainCatalysis and Separation Processes Group (CyPS), Chemical Engineering and Materials Department, Faculty of Chemistry Sciences, Complutense University, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainCatalysis and Separation Processes Group (CyPS), Chemical Engineering and Materials Department, Faculty of Chemistry Sciences, Complutense University, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainCatalysis and Separation Processes Group (CyPS), Chemical Engineering and Materials Department, Faculty of Chemistry Sciences, Complutense University, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainCatalysis and Separation Processes Group (CyPS), Chemical Engineering and Materials Department, Faculty of Chemistry Sciences, Complutense University, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainCatalysis and Separation Processes Group (CyPS), Chemical Engineering and Materials Department, Faculty of Chemistry Sciences, Complutense University, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainThe amount of sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has increased over the years, and the methods used to reduce this waste, such as incineration, agricultural use, or disposal in landfills, cause problems of secondary pollution. For this reason, it is necessary to find sustainable and low-cost solutions to manage this waste. Additionally, emerging and priority pollutants are attracting attention from the scientific community as they can generate health problems due to inadequate removal in conventional WWTPs. In this work, a pharmaceutical industry sludge was used as a precursor in the synthesis of four activated carbons (ACs) using different activating agents (ZnCl<sub>2</sub>, FeCl<sub>3</sub>∙6H<sub>2</sub>O, Fe(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>∙9H<sub>2</sub>O, and Fe(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub>∙H<sub>2</sub>O), to be used for the removal by adsorption of three neonicotinoid pesticides included in latest EU Watch List (Decision 2018/840): acetamiprid (ACT), thiamethoxam (THM), and imidacloprid (IMD). The prepared ACs showed micro–mesoporous properties, obtaining relatively slow adsorption kinetics to reach equilibrium, but despite this, high values of adsorption capacity (q<sub>e</sub>) were obtained. For example, for AC-ZnCl<sub>2</sub> (S<sub>BET</sub> = 558 m<sup>2</sup>/g), high adsorption capacities of q<sub>e</sub> = 128.9, 126.8, and 166.1 mg/g for ACT, THM, and IMD, respectively, were found. In most cases, the adsorption isotherms showed a multilayer profile, indicating an important contribution of the mesoporosity of the activated carbons in the adsorption process.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/3087activated carbonadsorptionneonicotinoid pesticidessludge-based adsorbents |
| spellingShingle | Eva Sanz-Santos Silvia Álvarez-Torrellas Lucía Ceballos Marcos Larriba V. Ismael Águeda Juan García Application of Sludge-Based Activated Carbons for the Effective Adsorption of Neonicotinoid Pesticides Applied Sciences activated carbon adsorption neonicotinoid pesticides sludge-based adsorbents |
| title | Application of Sludge-Based Activated Carbons for the Effective Adsorption of Neonicotinoid Pesticides |
| title_full | Application of Sludge-Based Activated Carbons for the Effective Adsorption of Neonicotinoid Pesticides |
| title_fullStr | Application of Sludge-Based Activated Carbons for the Effective Adsorption of Neonicotinoid Pesticides |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of Sludge-Based Activated Carbons for the Effective Adsorption of Neonicotinoid Pesticides |
| title_short | Application of Sludge-Based Activated Carbons for the Effective Adsorption of Neonicotinoid Pesticides |
| title_sort | application of sludge based activated carbons for the effective adsorption of neonicotinoid pesticides |
| topic | activated carbon adsorption neonicotinoid pesticides sludge-based adsorbents |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/3087 |
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