The aim of this study
is to evaluate the efficacy of mesoporous
silica nanospheres as an adsorbent to remove doxorubicin (DOX) from
aqueous solution. The surface and structural properties of mesoporous
silica nanospheres were investigated using BET, SEM, XRD, TEM, ζ
potential, and point of zero charge analysis. To optimize DOX removal
from aqueous solution, a Box–Behnken surface statistical design
(BBD) with four times factors, four levels, and response surface modeling
(RSM) was used. A high amount of adsorptivity from DOX (804.84 mg/g)
was successfully done under the following conditions: mesoporous silica
nanospheres dose = 0.02 g/25 mL; pH = 6; shaking speed = 200 rpm;
and adsorption time = 100 min. The study of isotherms demonstrated
how well the Langmuir equation and the experimental data matched.
According to thermodynamic characteristics, the adsorption of DOX
on mesoporous silica nanospheres was endothermic and spontaneous.
The increase in solution temperature also aided in the removal of
DOX. The kinetic study showed that the model suited the pseudo-second-order.
The suggested adsorption method could recycle mesoporous silica nanospheres
five times, with a modest reduction in its ability for adsorption.
The most important feature of our adsorbent is that it can be recycled
five times without losing its efficiency.