The Adsorption of Sulfamethoxazole, Diclofenac and Cetirizine on Activated Charcoal Removes the Environmentally Harmful Substances

Adan Kendric^*
*Correspondence: Adan Kendric, Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Holy Federal, Vitoria, Brazil, Email:

Introduction

Sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac and cetirizine were the three pharmaceuticals that were investigated for their ability to be removed from an aqueous solution by adsorption onto two types of activated charcoals (WSCl2 and HWOH). These pharmaceuticals are known to have a negative impact on the environment and are not easily broken down. The main factor affecting removal efficiencies was the volume of micro pores and mesopores in two different charcoals. Higher removal efficiencies were achieved for each of the selected pharmaceuticals when micro porous WSCl2 was used as an adsorbent. Sulfamethoxazole demonstrated the highest removal efficiency (79%). There was no evidence of a direct relationship between pharmaceutical solubility and removal efficiencies or between log Kow and removal efficiencies. The pseudo-second order kinetic model can be used to describe the adsorption behavior of individual pharmaceutical solutions.

Description

The kinetic model's parameters indicate that the adsorption rate on HWOH was greater than that on WSCl2. However, the difference in texture between the charcoals may have contributed to the lower amounts of pharmaceuticals adsorbed on HWOH than on WSCl2. Overall removal efficiencies were lower in the mixture containing all three compounds than when individual pharmaceuticals were present in the solution. Sulfamethoxazole, the smallest compound in the mixture, can only occupy a certain portion of the micro pores, according to the findings. Surface, drinking and groundwaters all contain pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), their residues and their metabolites. The explanation for their presence is the failure of the techniques utilized in wastewater treatment plants to eliminate specific kinds of PhACs effectively. The compounds removal efficiencies range from 0% to 100%. As a result, it is imperative that a brand-new, more effective method for eliminating such compounds be developed. Over the past few decades, numerous technologies have been tried out. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as sonochemistry, electrooxidation, photochemistry and ozonation and sorptive removal, are the most significant [1].

The unpredictability of whether transformation products will be toxic or biologically active is a major drawback of the first option. The latter, on the other hand, does not produce products that are toxic or pharmaceutically active. Water purification by adsorption on activated charcoal (AC) is a powerful and adaptable technique that has been widely used to prevent environmental pollution. AC is a type of carbon that is microcrystalline, has a lot of porosity and has a lot of surface area. This makes it easy to adsorb a lot of different things from liquids. Diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole and cetirizine adsorption have all been the subject of our research. These are among the most recognized PhACs in the climate. Diclofenac is a common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is found in water. It can be taken orally or applied to the skin to reduce inflammation and alleviate pain. Surface water, groundwater and drinking water all contain it. Rainbow trout developed renal lesions and alterations to the gills at a concentration of just 5 ug/L. Medaka fish's feeding patterns changed when the concentration was 0.17 mg/L. Sulphonamide antibiotics like sulfamethoxazole are frequently used to treat bronchitis and urinary tract bacterial infections. Additionally, it is used extensively in animal husbandry. Sulfamethoxazole is frequently found in almost all bodies of water worldwide due to its high water solubility [2].

Antibiotics typically affect algae more than fish or crustaceans in the water, but the primary cause of concern is the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Cetirizine is an antihistamine of the second generation that is used to treat allergies. As a result, water bodies experience high concentrations, particularly in the spring. It has been demonstrated that mussels metabolic activity and oxidative stress-related markers were biochemically altered after prolonged exposure to cetirizine. PhACs adsorption on activated charcoal depends on a number of things, including the AC's properties and the pharmaceuticals physical and chemical properties. Molecular size, pKa, pH and solubility are the PhAC properties that have the greatest impact on adsorption efficiency. Hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity (log Kow) Adsorption of pharmaceuticals with a higher log Kow, such as ibuprofen and diclofenac, is superior to that of substances with a lower log Kow, such as sulfamethoxazole. Additionally, PhAC is easier to remove the less soluble it is in water. Lowsolubility medications like carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole and ketoprofen were eliminated more quickly than highly soluble medications like terbutaline, fluoxetine and metoprolol [3].

BET surface area, pore size, distribution and their surface functional groups are the most significant AC properties. There is a strong correlation between the porous properties of activated charcoal and its adsorption rate. Based on their volume, we can classify pore types into three categories. Micro pores have distances across under 2 nm and they are basically answerable for the adsorption of particles. Meso pores are a network of transport with diameters ranging from 2 nm to 50 nm. Lastly, the molecule enters AC through macro pores with a diameter greater than 50 nm. It is thought that a welldeveloped mesopore structure is necessary for allowing the adsorbate to enter the inner porosity. As a result, mesoporous materials are expected to have higher rates of adsorption. Nevertheless, the purpose of micro pores is to function as active adsorption sites; however, they must be large enough to accommodate the adsorbate molecule. Research shows that air conditioner with a micro porous structure has higher expulsion productivity (80% to 100%) in eliminating more modest particles like ibuprofen, paracetamol acetylsalicylic corrosive and clofibric corrosive. In contrast, it was discovered that the mesoporous structure was necessary for the retention of bulkier compounds like iopamidol. Galhetas and other also discovered a connection between the adsorption rate and the porous structure of AC. Their findings revealed that the presence of a developed micropore structure was the primary factor that controlled the rate of acetaminophen adsorption in the system, whereas the mesoporous structure had no positive effect on the adsorption of the drug [4].

It is essential to emphasize that pharmaceuticals typically do not originate in the environment as distinct substances. In both human and veterinary medicine, a wide range of compounds are utilized simultaneously. Besides, most therapeutic items are somewhat changed into metabolites making a multi-part combination of parent mixtures and metabolites. The competition and mutual interaction between various substances affect the adsorption of a mixture of multiple pharmaceuticals. As a result, the amount of PhACs adsorbed can vary. Sulfamethoxazole had the lowest log Kow when adsorbed from the mixture of carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. As a result, its adsorption was most adversely affected by the presence of other components. Furthermore, when PhACs are in a combination, AC makes a sieving impact meaning more modest particles like caffeine or carbamazepine were adsorbed more than particles with higher volumes than these PhACs (for instance, diclofenac). Utilizing activated carbon to remove pharmaceuticals from waste streams has numerous advantages in general. It is a straightforward, highly efficient and environmentally friendly strategy that can be utilized in both batch and continuous processes. However, its overall effectiveness may be limited by higher manufacturing costs and frequent regeneration requirements [5].

Conclusion

This research focuses on how activated charcoals (surface area, pore distribution and textural properties) and pharmaceuticals (solubility, molecular size, log Kow) affect overall removal efficiencies. In order to compare the overall performance of the two AC types, the batch system used either a single pharmaceutical experiment or a mixture of all pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceuticals were chosen based on where they are found in the environment and their concentration was set to be the same as the concentrations that are important to the environment while still being above our analytical system's threshold. There are a few errors in the writing among got results, as expressed previously and in this way, clarification of the relationship of the previously mentioned boundaries is significant for future ecological applications.

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