Performance of Pristine versus Magnetized Orange Peels Biochar Adapted to Adsorptive Removal of Daunorubicin: Eco-Structuring, Kinetics and Equilibrium Studies

Abstract

Drugs and pharmaceuticals are an emergent class of aquatic contaminants. The existence of these pollutants in aquatic bodies is currently raising escalating concerns because of their negative impact on the ecosystem. This study investigated the efficacy of two sorbents derived from orange peels (OP) biochar (OPBC) for the removal of the antineoplastic drug daunorubicin (DNB) from pharmaceutical wastewater. The adsorbents included pristine (OPBC) and magnetite (Fe3O4)-impregnated (MAG-OPBC) biochars. Waste-derived materials offer a sustainable and cost-effective solution to wastewater bioremediation. The results showed that impregnation with Fe3O4 altered the crystallization degree and increased the surface area from 6.99 m2/g in OPBC to 60.76 m2/g in the case of MAG-OPBC. Placket–Burman Design (PBD) was employed to conduct batch adsorption experiments. The removal efficiency of MAG-OPBC (98.51%) was higher compared to OPBC (86.46%). DNB adsorption onto OPBC followed the D–R isotherm, compared to the Langmuir isotherm in the case of MAG-OPBC. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) was 172.43 mg/g for MAG-OPBC and 83.75 mg/g for OPBC. The adsorption kinetics for both sorbents fitted well with the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model. The results indicate that MAG-OPBC is a promising adsorbent for treating pharmaceutical wastewater.