Assessment of activated carbon/alginate for the concurrent removal efficiency of paracetamol and caffeine from wastewater in their binary solutions

Abstract

The increasing amount of pharmaceutical chemicals in wastewater is a concern for both public health and the environment. This research investigates the effectiveness of a new composite material made of alginate-activated carbon in removing caffeine and paracetamol from wastewater simultaneously. The composite material, produced using a simple technique, demonstrates excellent removal rates and exceptional adsorption properties for both medicinal chemicals. The structural stability and integrity of the composite are confirmed through comprehensive characterization methods including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and BET surface area analysis. The study uses batch adsorption experiments to assess the impact of various factors, such as pH, initial concentration, and contact time, on the efficiency of caffeine and paracetamol removal. The highest values for the adsorption process were 89.63% for Paracetamol and 97.32% for Caffeine, achieved under optimal experimental conditions (pH 7, 0.1 g dose of adsorbent at elevated temperature). Additionally, Kinetic studies and thermodynamic parameters such as ΔS°, ΔGº, and ΔH° were calculated, indicating that the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous for paracetamol, and exothermic and non-spontaneous for caffeine. Seven non-linear equilibrium isotherm models were utilized to fit the experimental data for paracetamol and caffeine at pH 7 showing maximum adsorption capacities ($q_{\max }$) of 606.80 and 725.05 mg/g for Paracetamol and Caffeine, respectively with a high regression coefficient (R²) of 0.99 using alginate-activated carbon as an adsorbent, The results demonstrate the potential of alginate-activated carbon as an effective adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of various pharmaceutical pollutants, highlighting the synergistic adsorption effects of the composite material. The study also examines the safety of the composite material, particularly in the context of potential medical applications. The study emphasizes the potential for sustainable and repeated use of the activated carbon/alginate composite, demonstrating that it maintains both its structural integrity and adsorption effectiveness after multiple cycles of use. This study evaluated the suitability of the suggested analytical method using BAGI, a metric with a unique formula. The BAGI is a complementary tool to GAPI, Complex GAPI, AGREE, AGREE prep, and ESA. A major focus is on the practical elements of white analytical chemistry centered around "blue”.