abstract
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are largely consumed worldwide. As a result, NSAIDs were already found in a variety of environmental aqueous samples, in concentrations ranging from ng/L to mu g/L. This is due to the inability of the currently used technologies in sewage treatment plants (STPs) and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to completely remove such pollutants/contaminants, thus leading to serious environmental and public health concerns. This work addresses the preparation and application of materials based on silica chemically modified with ionic liquids (SILs) as alternative adsorbents to remove NSAIDs from aqueous media. Modified silica-based materials comprising the 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium cation combined with six anions were prepared, and chemically and morphologically characterized. Adsorption kinetics, diffusion models and isotherms of sodium diclofenac-as one of the most worldwide consumed NSAIDs-were determined at 298 K. The Boyd's film diffusion and Webber's pore diffusion models were used to disclose the rate controlling step affecting the adsorption process. A maximum equilibrium concentration of sodium diclofenac of 0.74 mmol (0.235 g) per g of adsorbent was obtained. Several solvents were tested to remove diclofenac and to regenerate SILs, being the mixture composed of 1-butanol and water (85:15, v:v) identified as the most promising and ecofriendly. After 3 regeneration steps, the material is able to keep up to 75% of its initial adsorption efficiency. Considering the maximum values reported for sodium diclofenac in effluents from WWTPs/STPs, 1 g of the most efficient material is ideally able to treat ca. 50,000 L of water. These materials can thus be envisioned as efficient filters to be implemented at domestic environment in countries where the levels of pharmaceuticals are particularly high in drinking water.
keywords
PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS; SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION; WASTE-WATER TREATMENT; DICLOFENAC SODIUM; ADSORPTIVE REMOVAL; STATIONARY-PHASE; EMERGING POLLUTANTS; AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT; TREATMENT PLANTS; DRINKING-WATER
subject category
Engineering
authors
Almeida, HFD; Neves, MC; Trindade, T; Marrucho, IM; Freire, MG
our authors
Isabel Maria Delgado Jana Marrucho Ferreira
Full professor
Mara Guadalupe Freire Martins
Coordinating Researcher
Márcia Carvalho Neves
Assistant Researcher
Tito Trindade
Full professoracknowledgements
This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, FCT Ref. UID/CTM/50011/2019, financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES. H.F.D. Almeida acknowledges FCT for the PhD grant SFRH/BD/88369/2012. M.C.N. acknowledges University of Aveiro for funding in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19. This work was financially supported by the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031106 (IonCytDevice) funded by FEDER, through COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalizacao (POCI), and by national funds (OE), through FCT/MCTES, and developed in the scope of the Smart Green Homes Project [POCI-01-0247-FEDER-007678], a co-promotion between Bosch Termotecnologia S.A. and the University of Aveiro. It is financed by Portugal 2020 under the Competitiveness an Internationalization Operational Program, and by the European Regional Development Fund.