Abstract
Tomato waste was studied as a low-cost biosorbent for the removal of five pharmaceuticals (dexamethasone, febantel, procaine, praziquantel, and tylosin) from water. Tomato waste was characterized chemically and microstructurally before and after simulated sorption. Sorption performance was interpreted as a function of the initial pharmaceuticals concentration, temperature, and physicochemical properties of the tomato waste. The linear, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms were used to describe the experimental results at different temperatures (298, 303, and 308 K). Thermodynamic parameters such as standard free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy change (ΔH°), and entropy change (ΔS°) were determined. Negative values of ΔG° in the temperature range of 298–308 K strongly indicate the spontaneous nature of the biosorption process. In addition, the values of ΔH° for the biosorption of dexamethasone, procaine, praziquantel, and tylosin on tomato waste were negative, indicating exothermic processes, while the positive value for febantel indicated an endothermic process. The kinetic data were analyzed using (i) kinetic models to determine the kinetic parameters (Lagergren’s pseudo-first order and Ho’s pseudo-second order) and (ii) adsorption–diffusion models to the describe transport mechanisms of pharmaceuticals from aqueous solution onto tomato waste as adsorbent (Weber–Morris intraparticle diffusion and Boyd film diffusion models).
Highlights
The amount of pharmacologically active substances used to treat and prevent diseases and to alleviate the stresses associated with modern life can be measured in thousands of tons per year [1]. Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites are widely distributed in surface waters from sewage treatment plant effluents [2]
Dried TW represents a complex chemical environment, which was confirmed by the obtained FTIR spectrum (Figure 1)
The results showed that all the studied pharmaceuticals were stable in the medium during the studied time
Summary
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the entry, presence, and potential effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment. The amount of pharmacologically active substances used to treat and prevent diseases and to alleviate the stresses associated with modern life can be measured in thousands of tons per year [1]. Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites are widely distributed in surface waters from sewage treatment plant effluents [2]. Much research is currently being conducted to explore suitable methods for the elimination of pharmaceuticals from surface waters. Due to the physicochemical properties of these effluents, it is easy for them to pass through all natural filtration stages and reach groundwaters and drinking waters [3]
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