Effective adsorption of diclofenac sodium from aqueous solution using cationic surfactant modified Cuminum cyminum agri-waste: kinetic, equilibrium, and thermodynamic studies

Abstract

The occurrence of pharmaceutical pollutants in aqueous media has increased where significant research is being conducted to eliminate these toxic compounds. In the present study, Tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) modified Cuminum cyminum agri-waste (CCW) was prepared to investigate the removal of diclofenac sodium (DCF) from aqueous solution in the batch process for the first time. Physical and chemical characterizations of as-prepared adsorbent were conducted using field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption, and point of zero charge analysis. Besides, the effect of the main parameters that affect the adsorption process, i.e., adsorbent dosage (0.25–6 g/L), contact time (0–300 min), initial DCF concentration (10–500 mg/L), and pH of the solution, were investigated. Furthermore, the resulted data were analyzed using various kinetic and isotherm models. The Pseudo-second-order model with R 2 = 0.9981 showed the highest agreement with kinetic behavior. Also, the maximum adsorption capacity of DCF is 93.65 mg/g, according to the Langmuir isotherm. In acidic media, the adsorption capacity reached the highest value (44.69 mg/g). As a result, this study revealed that the agri-waste material could be modified and, as a low-cost adsorbent, have promising adsorption potential to remove pharmaceutical contaminants from the aqueous solution.