Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Water by Tomato Waste as Novel Promising Biosorbent: Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Thermodynamics

Dragana Mutavdžić Pavlović, Lidija Ćurković, Vilko Mandić, Jelena Macan, Iva Šimić and Dijana Blažek
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Dragana Mutavdžić Pavlović: Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 20, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Lidija Ćurković: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Ivana Lučića 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Vilko Mandić: Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 20, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Jelena Macan: Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 20, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Iva Šimić: Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 20, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Dijana Blažek: Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 20, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-19

Abstract: Tomato waste was studied as a low-cost biosorbent for the removal of five pharmaceuticals (dexamethasone, febantel, procaine, praziquantel, and tylosin) from water. Tomato waste was characterized chemically and microstructurally before and after simulated sorption. Sorption performance was interpreted as a function of the initial pharmaceuticals concentration, temperature, and physicochemical properties of the tomato waste. The linear, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms were used to describe the experimental results at different temperatures (298, 303, and 308 K). Thermodynamic parameters such as standard free energy (Δ G °), enthalpy change (Δ H °), and entropy change (Δ S °) were determined. Negative values of Δ G ° in the temperature range of 298–308 K strongly indicate the spontaneous nature of the biosorption process. In addition, the values of Δ H ° for the biosorption of dexamethasone, procaine, praziquantel, and tylosin on tomato waste were negative, indicating exothermic processes, while the positive value for febantel indicated an endothermic process. The kinetic data were analyzed using (i) kinetic models to determine the kinetic parameters (Lagergren’s pseudo-first order and Ho’s pseudo-second order) and (ii) adsorption–diffusion models to the describe transport mechanisms of pharmaceuticals from aqueous solution onto tomato waste as adsorbent (Weber–Morris intraparticle diffusion and Boyd film diffusion models).

Keywords: tomato waste; biosorption; pharmaceuticals; adsorption isotherms; thermodynamics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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