Rabbit Litter-Derived Carbon Materials for Organophosphate Pesticide Mitigation: Adsorption Performance,...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Toxicology

Background:

• Organophosphate pesticides are prevalent agricultural chemicals with significant neurotoxic risks due to acetylcholinesterase inhibition.
• Effective and sustainable methods for removing these contaminants from aqueous systems are crucial for environmental and public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of carbon materials derived from rabbit litter as sustainable adsorbents for organophosphate pesticide removal.
• To assess the impact of these adsorbents on the neurotoxic potential of the treated pesticide solutions.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of carbon materials from rabbit litter with varying textural properties (10–487 m² g⁻¹).
• Adsorption experiments to quantify the removal of chlorpyrifos, malathion, and dimethoate.
• Enzyme inhibition assays to evaluate the reduction in acetylcholinesterase inhibition post-adsorption.

Main Results:

• Carbon materials demonstrated effective adsorption of organophosphate pesticides, with maximum capacities up to 71.8 mg g⁻¹ for malathion.
• Adsorption performance was influenced by pore accessibility and surface heterogeneity.
• Significant reduction in acetylcholinesterase inhibition was observed, decreasing neurotoxic potential (e.g., chlorpyrifos from 40% to 20%).

Conclusions:

• Waste-derived carbon materials from rabbit litter are viable adsorbents for organophosphate pesticide removal.
• These materials not only remove pesticides but also mitigate their associated neurotoxic effects.
• The study highlights the importance of considering both adsorption efficiency and biological impact for sustainable remediation strategies.