Removal of 17β-estradiol (E2) from Aqueous Solutions by Adsorption Using Oak Jaft and Tea Waste, Isotherm Investigation, and Adsorption Kinetics

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate wastewater treatment of hormones by oak jaft and tea waste adsorbents. Various factors were used to evaluate the adsorption process, such as the initial pollutant concentration, adsorbent concentration, contact time, and pH. The results showed that both adsorbents, jaft, and tea waste, can adsorb 17β-estradiol. Maximum adsorption was 82.4% for jaft adsorbent and 81.5% for tea waste at 85 min, 7 g/L of adsorbent dose, and pH = 4.5, respectively. The adsorption equilibrium was performed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Liu models, based on the results, Freundlich model with R2 values >0.97 demonstrated better agreement with the adsorption experimental data. To obtain information on adsorption velocity, three models of pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich were used. The findings revealed that the pseudo-second-order model with R2 > 0.98 is a better fit for the experimental data. Therefore, the jaft adsorbent and tea waste can be used as effective and economical adsorbents for the removal of organic pollutants in wastewater treatment plants.