Paracetamol and Ibuprofen Removal from Aqueous Phase Using a Ceramic-Derived Activated Carbon

Emerging pollutants, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, have been detected in surface and groundwaters. The adsorption of paracetamol and ibuprofen, two widespread drugs, has been studied in aqueous medium, using a ceramic-derived carbon (CeDC) and a commercial activated carbon (CoAC). CeDC yielded a BET surface area of 895 m² g^-1, a bimodal pore size distribution (13.2 and 35 nm) and a total pore volume of 1.99 cm³ g^-1. CoAC had an approximate surface area of 1000 m² g^-1, a homogeneous pore size distribution and a total pore volume of 0.42 cm³ g^-1. Kinetic and equilibrium tests were carried out in batch systems to study the materials' sorption performances. The intraparticle diffusion model best fitted the experimental kinetic data. The maximum ibuprofen sorption capacities were 120 mg g^-1 and 133 mg g^-1 for CoAC and CeDC, respectively, whereas no major differences on the maximum paracetamol sorption capacities (qm) were observed among the sorbents (150-159 mg g^-1). Therefore, CeDC, synthesized easily from a ceramic composite, improved time and sorption capacity of paracetamol and ibuprofen compared to the commercial activated carbon, indicating the potential of the developed carbon as an emerging pollutant sorbent material.