Removal of paracetamol using activated carbon

Abstract

The presence of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment is a known problem worldwide. Paracetamol is widely used as an analgesic and antipyretic. Its high consumption implies a continuous discharge into aqueous environments through industrial and domestic wastewaters that requires mitigation and remediation strategies. The aim of the present study is to analyze the removal of paracetamol from aqueous solutions by the adsorption technique. For this purpose, two commercial adsorbents with different textural properties are used: CAT and CARBOPAL activated carbons. A series of batch adsorption experiments are carried out at different pH values (3.0, 7.0 and 10.5) and ionic strength (0.01, 0.5 and 1 M) to investigate the effects on the removal of paracetamol from aqueous solution. In addition, the adsorption mechanism is investigated using computational calculations based on Density Functional Theory. Studies show that the adsorption capacities of CAT and CARBOPAL are suitable for the removal of paracetamol in water.