The presence of drugs on a large scale in aquatic matrices raises concern and requires the study of efficient technologies to remove these compounds. This study investigated the adsorption capacity of the natural zeolite clinoptilolite (CP) in removing the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Zeolite was characterized by BET, XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and pH
pzc
techniques. The kinetic model that best fits the experimental data was the pseudo-first-order and the SIPS isotherm provided the best fit. The Langmuir isotherm RL separation factor (> 0.01) indicated that the adsorption process was favorable and the Freundlich isotherm (
n
> 1) suggested that the adsorption mechanism occurred mainly by physisorption, with intraparticle diffusion as the step limiting the process. The process was spontaneous (ΔG°
ads
< 0), endothermic (ΔH°
ads
> 0), and with increased randomness at the solid-solution interface (ΔS°
ads
> 0). The initial pH variation of the effluent was not favorable for the adsorption process and the zeolite was easily regenerated for later use. The ecotoxicological tests with
Artemia salina
and
Lactuca Sativa
proved that the final effluent did not show toxicity after the adsorption treatment. Based on the results obtained in this work, clinoptilolite zeolite is a potential adsorbent for reducing HCQ toxicity in aquatic matrices.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11270-022-05787-3.
The synthesis and application of heterogeneous solid catalysts in Fenton-type processes have been shown to be a promising alternative for the removal of hazardous pollutants. In this context, the aim of this study was to prepare and characterize a heterogeneous solid iron catalyst supported on zeolite Y for the degradation of yellow food coloring tartrazine (TY). The catalyst was produced through humid ion exchange and characterized by the physisorption of N2, XRD, SEM, TEM and EDX. The efficiency of the catalyst was evaluated through the degradation of tartrazine yellow dye in a batch regime, and the influence of some of the main operational parameters was also evaluated. The characterizations confirmed the presence of iron on the surface of zeolite Y and the increase in the specific area and pore volume after ion exchange. The catalyst used in the photo-Fenton system was extremely efficient, with a removal of approximately 98% in 120 min in the experimental conditions: [TY]0 = 10 mg/L, [H2O2]0 =200 g/L, Y-Fe dosage=1.5 g/L and pH= 3.0. It was possible to recover the catalyst and use it in five reuse cycles, showing its stability and potential application of this catalyst in heterogeneous photo-Fenton systems.
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