Abstract
Acetylsalicylic acid, commercially available as aspirin, is one of the most used drugs in the world, being detected in several environmental compartments, including drinking water supplies. Given its environmental impact, the development of a cost‐effective technology capable of removing this pharmaceutical from water samples is of high relevance, for which materials based on silica chemically modified with ionic liquids (SILs) can be foreseen as a promising alternative. In this work, four SILs (with the chloride anion and imidazolium or tetraalkylammonium cations of different alkyl side chain length) were synthesized and characterized, and their potential for the adsorption of acetylsalicylic acid appraised by adsorption kinetics and isotherms. Envisioning their use to treat drinking water, the toxicity of all SILs towards the liver cell line Hep2G was determined. The best identified SIL, comprising the dimethylbutylammonium cation, displays a maximum adsorption capacity of 0.08 mmol/g, being 1 g of this material sufficient to treat ca. 14,500 L of water containing 1 µg/L of acetylsalicylic acid (under ideal conditions). Furthermore, this material has a negligible toxicity towards the liver cell line Hep2G. The results obtained reinforce the potential of SILs as alternative adsorbents to effectively remove acetylsalicylic acid from aqueous solutions, and may be envisioned as a promising strategy for the treatment of wastewater and drinking water.
Highlights
Pharmaceutical drugs are widely used due to the worldwide continuous growing population and advances in the health-care sector
The Ionic liquids (ILs) functionalization was demonstrated by solid-State 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and elemental analysis
The potential of the prepared Supported ionic liquids (SILs) as alternative adsorbents to remove pharmaceuticals from water was appraised with acetylsalicylic acid, one of the most used pharmaceuticals, by determining the respective adsorption kinetics and isotherms
Summary
Pharmaceutical drugs are widely used due to the worldwide continuous growing population and advances in the health-care sector. Rakic et al.[43] reported maximum adsorption capacities ranging from 0.011 to 0.021 mmol/g, using a natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) modified with metal cations (Cu (II), Zn (II), Ni (II) and Mn (II)) and with clays (kaolin and bentonite, pure or modified by ion exchange with octadecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride) Comparing these reported results with those obtained SILs appear as more promising materials for the removal of acetylsalicylic acid (qmax value of 0.08 mmol/g). The best identified material to remove acetylsalicylic acid from aqueous solutions ([Si][N3114]Cl) does not induce any decrease in cell viability, opening new and exciting possibilities for its use on the removal of this pharmaceutical (and others) from water samples, such as effluents from wastewater treatment plants and hospitals, and even drinking water
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