Abstract
One of the most important types of emerging micropollutants is the pharmaceutical micropollutant. Pharmaceutical micropollutants are usually identified in several environmental compartments, so the removal of pharmaceutical micropollutants is a global concern. This study aimed to remove diclofenac (DCF), ibuprofen (IBP), and naproxen (NPX) from the aqueous solution via cross-linked magnetic chitosan/activated biochar (CMCAB). Two independent factors—pH (4–8) and a concentration of emerging micropollutants (0.5–3 mg/L)—were monitored in this study. Adsorbent dosage (g/L) and adsorption time (h) were fixed at 1.6 and 1.5, respectively, based on the results of preliminary experiments. At a pH of 6.0 and an initial micropollutant (MP) concentration of 2.5 mg/L, 2.41 mg/L (96.4%) of DCF, 2.47 mg/L (98.8%) of IBP, and 2.38 mg/L (95.2%) of NPX were removed. Optimization was done by an artificial neural network (ANN), which proved to be reasonable at optimizing emerging micropollutant elimination by CMCAB as indicated by the high R2 values and reasonable mean square errors (MSE). Adsorption isotherm studies indicated that both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were able to explain micropollutant adsorption by CMCAB. Finally, desorption tests proved that cross-linked magnetic chitosan/activated biochar might be employed for at least eight adsorption-desorption cycles.
Highlights
Emerging micropollutants or organic micropollutants exist in the environment at trace concentrations, and their impact on the human health and the environment are presently unknown.These pollutants are contained in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), personal care products, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and metallic trace elements [1]
Desorption tests proved that cross-linked magnetic chitosan/activated biochar might be employed for at least eight adsorption-desorption cycles
Pharmaceutical micropollutants are commonly found in various environmental compartments
Summary
Emerging micropollutants or organic micropollutants exist in the environment at trace concentrations, and their impact on the human health and the environment are presently unknown. These pollutants are contained in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), personal care products, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and metallic trace elements [1]. Pharmaceutical micropollutants are commonly found in various environmental compartments. The growing use of pharmaceuticals is raises questions regarding their potential risk to human health, the environment, and water quality [2]. Diclofenac, ibuprofen, and naproxen are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are a commonly consumed class of pharmaceuticals [3]. All pharmaceuticals belonging to this group are acidic in nature with pKa values in the range of 3–5 [4]
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