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Structural Adaptive, Self-Separating Material for Removing Ibuprofen from Waters and Sewage
Anna Maria Skwierawska1, Dominika Nowacka1, Paulina Nowicka1
1Department of Chemistry and Technology of Functional Materials, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 24, 2021
Summary
β-Cyclodextrin nanosponge effectively removes ibuprofen from water and sewage. This stable, biodegradable adsorbent shows high capacity and fits the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating chemisorption for efficient pollutant removal.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Ibuprofen (IBU) is a common pharmaceutical pollutant in water bodies.
- Conventional wastewater treatment methods struggle to efficiently remove emerging contaminants like IBU.
- Developing novel, effective, and sustainable adsorbents is crucial for water remediation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize β-cyclodextrin nanosponge (β-CD-M) for ibuprofen adsorption.
- To investigate the adsorption performance of β-CD-M for IBU removal from aqueous solutions and sewage.
- To evaluate the adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics of IBU onto β-CD-M.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of β-cyclodextrin nanosponge using SEM, FTIR, BET, BJH, TGA, DSC, and EA.
- Batch adsorption experiments to study the effects of adsorbent dose, IBU concentration, contact time, and interfering substances.
- Analysis of adsorption data using Langmuir, Freundlich, Sips, and other isotherm models, and pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and other kinetic models.
Main Results:
- β-CD-M exhibited excellent stability, self-separating properties, and a maximum adsorption capacity of 86.21 mg g-1 according to the Sips isotherm model.
- The adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics, suggesting chemisorption, and was influenced by factors like adsorbent dose and initial IBU concentration.
- The nanosponge demonstrated effective IBU removal even in the presence of electrolyte ions, humic acids, and in real sewage samples.
Conclusions:
- β-Cyclodextrin nanosponge is a highly effective and stable adsorbent for ibuprofen removal from various water matrices.
- The adsorption mechanism involves chemisorption and is well-described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Sips isotherm models.
- β-CD-M presents a promising biodegradable and self-separating solution for pharmaceutical pollutant remediation in wastewater treatment.
