Evaluation of concerning emergent compounds characteristics and simultaneous biosorption through multivariate technique

Abstract

Adsorption is one of the most efficient technologies for the removal of Concerning Emergent Compounds (CECs), also known as Organic Micropollutant (OMP). However, the use of activated carbon in developing countries is still costly. Thus, lignocellulosic residues are used as a base for making new adsorbent materials. This study assessed the relationship between the multicomponent adsorption of CECs in lignin-based adsorbents and the characteristics of the compounds. For this, 27 target compounds were prepared in an aqueous solution and submitted to the adsorption in 3 different materials. All the samples were analyzed in ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The results were evaluated with the aid of the multivariate least squares regression (PLS-R) technique. It was observed that the adsorption of pharmaceuticals on activated carbons is a complex process governed by the properties of the adsorbed molecules, and the removal efficiency could be altered by external properties (e.g., adsorbent properties, pH, and organic matter). Even if it was reached an excellent average percentage removal (5.44 – 128.91%), the influence of other organic compounds could not be neglected. Unfortunately, to obtain a good understanding of the interactions between the single chemical molecule and the adsorbents, it would be necessary to study the process for each compound separately from the others and then consider the matrix effect due to the mixing of various pharmaceuticals with very different properties.