Highly efficient adsorption of furosemide drug by using a Ce0.8Sm0.15Nd0.05O2-δ compound immobilized on massively wasted single use packets

Abstract

Single use packets are currently a huge source of plastic contamination, and their recycling is not still systematized worldwide. As an effort to reutilize them, we report in this research the performance of Ce0.8Sm0.15Nd0.05O2-δ (CSNO) powders immobilized on recycled single use packets for the removal of furosemide (FUR) drug by physical adsorption. Firstly, CSNO powders (50 mg) were dispersed in tap water contaminated with FUR and produced a maximum FUR adsorption of 95.1% after only 4 min of reaction. The maximum adsorption capacity of 38.2 mg/g was reached when 10 mg of CSNO powder is employed (Co=10 ppm, pH=7). Later, the CSNO composite (plastic-packet+CSNO-powder) was evaluated, and it produced a maximum FUR adsorption of 82.6% as well as an adsorption capacity of 20.7 mg/g. Furthermore, the experimental data of adsorption was fitted to the first and second order models and the kinetic parameters adjusted better to the second order model, indicating that the adsorption of FUR on the CSNO particles is achieved by chemisorption. The adsorption data also fitted the Freundlich model, suggesting a multilayer adsorption. XPS analysis of the CSNO powders before and after the FUR adsorption confirmed the reduction of the Ce4+, Sm3+ and Nd3+ species to Ce3+, Sm2+ and Nd0. Such reduction occurred after the electrostatic attraction between the negative FUR molecules and the positive surface of CSNO. Hence, the results presented here demonstrated that single use packets can be recycled for the fabrication of composites (floaters) which quickly remove pharmaceutical drugs from the tap water.