AbstractPharmaceutical residues coming from urban wastewater were recognized as a major source of pollution for the aquatic environment. Their occurrence in most municipal effluent seems to indicate that conventional wastewater treatments have only a limited ability to remove such substances from sewage. Therefore, the undesired effects caused by these emergent contaminants on the environment force the authorities to consider new measures to treat and recycle contaminated water. In this study, electrospun nanofibers made of chitosan and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were used to remove the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen in solution. The electrospinning parameters such as the mixture solution concentration, applied voltage, distance needle-collector, and flow rate were optimized to get the best nanofiber morphology characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). With the use of a high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet diode array detection (HPLC-UV DAD) system, sorption tests were performed by modifying experimental conditions, e.g. pH, concentration of ibuprofen, and temperature of the tested solutions. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) adsorption models were compared for the mathematical description of adsorption equilibria. Kinetic assays showed that the adsorption of chitosan nanofiber followed a pseudo-second-order model. After 20 min of exposure, 25 mg of nanofiber had removed 70% of the initial ibuprofen concentration.
The threat of pharmaceutical residues in natural waters is a pressing concern in both developed and underdeveloped countries. Originating mostly from municipal and farms effluents, pharmaceuticals, poorly eliminated by traditional wastewater treatments enter the environment through sewage treatment plants discharges. Their adsorption on ecological adsorptive materials such as lignin may represent an interesting remediation solution. The present study sets out the sorption capacities and properties of a newly developed lignin-based nanofibrous material for typical pharmaceutical residues (fluoxetine, venlafaxine, ibuprofen, and carbamazepine) found in surface waters. This green biomaterial showed, in addition to its high recovery yield, excellent reusability through desorption (more than 90% recovered). As an example, adsorption levels reached 78 mg/g for adsorption of fluoxetine compared to 5-10, 49 and 75-80 for unfunctionalized silica, zeolites and ionexchange resins respectively. The innovative approach reported therein perfectly meets the concept of circular economy sought in modern societies.
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