Adsorption of Organic Pollutants Using Moroccan Oil Shales: Optimization of the Adsorption Process Using a Factorial Design

Abstract

There is currently worldwide interest in the use of inexpensive, naturally available adsorbent materials for contaminant removal. In our research work, the oil shale of the Moroccan Rif region has been used as an adsorbent for ciprofloxacin (CIP) adsorption studies in an aqueous solution. Raw oil shale has been characterized by different analysis techniques to study its structural and textural properties. The results of the characterizations by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the OST100 has a SiO 2 (Silicon dioxide)-quartz phase which is very interesting for the adsorption of organic species (Antibiotic). De-sign-Expert software was used to examine the influence of different organic pollutants concentrations, oil shale mass, and contact time on organic pollutants removal efficiency using oil shales. Additionally, the correlation between the actual and theoretical removal efficiencies of toxic antibiotics was analyzed, assessing the degree to which the predicted distribution results aligned with the experimental values.