Optimization of Paracetamol and Chloramphenicol Removal by Novel Activated Carbon Derived from Sawdust Using Response Surface Methodology

Mohamed Romdhani, Afef Attia, Catherine Charcosset, Samia Mahouche-Chergui, Ayten Ates, Joelle Duplay and Raja Ben Amar ()
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Mohamed Romdhani: Research Unit “Advanced Technologies for Environment and Smart Cities”, Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia
Afef Attia: Research Unit “Advanced Technologies for Environment and Smart Cities”, Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia
Catherine Charcosset: LAGEP, UMR 5007, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 43 Boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69100 Villeurbanne, France
Samia Mahouche-Chergui: Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris-Est (ICMPE), UMR 7182 CNRS, Université Paris-Est, 2 Rue Henri Dunant, F-94320 Thiais, France
Ayten Ates: Department of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Cumhuriyet University, 58140 Sivas, Türkiye
Joelle Duplay: EOST-LHYGES, UMR 7517, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, F-67084 Strasbourg, France
Raja Ben Amar: Research Unit “Advanced Technologies for Environment and Smart Cities”, Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: Paracetamol (PCT) and chloramphenicol (CPL) can have unfavorable impacts on human health, as well as on natural ecosystems. These substances contribute to the aquatic environment’s contamination and disturb the performance of municipal wastewater treatment systems, causing ecosystem disruption and microbial resistance. In this study, activated carbon produced from sawdust (ACs) was synthesized utilizing the chemical activation process for the removal of both PCT and CPL compounds from an aqueous solution. ACs has a primarily microporous structure with a significant specific surface area of 303–1298 m 2 /g, total pore volume of 0.462 cm 3 /g and bimodal distribution of pores of 0.73–1.7 nm. The removal efficiencies for PCT and CPL with the low-cost activated carbon, determined at the optimum dose (750 mg/L for PCT and 450 mg/L for CPL), were significantly high at 85% and 98%, respectively. The adsorption kinetics for both pharmaceuticals exhibited a quick initial decline. For PCT and CPL adsorption, the equilibrium was attained after just 20 and 90 min, respectively. The Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetics model offered the best fits for the adsorption of both compounds. Additionally, the central composite design (CCD) and Box–Behnken design (BBD) were used to optimize the experimental adsorption conditions using a response surface methodology (RSM). On the basis of the findings, it is evident that activated carbon made from sawdust may be used as a new, effective alternative adsorbent for removing PCT and CPL in aqueous environments.

Keywords: paracetamol; chloramphenicol; activated carbon; adsorption; response surface; methodology; experimental design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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