In this study, the potential of adsorption of amoxicillin antibiotic (AMOX) from aqueous solutions using prepared activated carbon (AC) was studied. The used AC was prepared from an inexpensive and available precursor (sunflower seed hulls (SSH)) and activated by potassium hydroxide (KOH). The prepared AC was examined for its ability to remove AMOX from aqueous contaminated solutions and characterized with the aid of N2 -adsorption/desorption isotherm Brunauer–Emmett– Teller, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared. Zeta potential of the prepared activated carbon from sunflower seed hulls (SSHAC) were studied in relation to AMOX adsorption. The physical and chemical properties of SSHAC were analyzed and it showed successful preparation of SSHAC with a preferable surface area, micropores volume and average pore diameter of 928.706 m2 /g, 0.565 cm3 /g and 2.55 nm, respectively due to the hierarchical porosity of the prepared adsorbent. SSHAC exhibited a removal percentage of 95% for AMOX at a solution pH of 6, SSHAC dosage of 0.75 g/L and an initial AMOX amount of 50 mg/L. Equilibrium analysis were performed in a batch model within the range of 5–9 solution pH, 0.25–1.25 mg/mL SSHAC dosage and 50–250 mg/L AMOX initial concentration. The experimental data obtained were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. The equilibrium data fitted well with the Langmuir model with a maximum AMOX adsorption capacity of 272.44 mg/g. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models were utilized to examine the kinetic data obtained at various inlet AMOX concentrations. The kinetic experimental data were well fitted with the pseudo-first-order equation. A proposed adsorption mechanism by π–π interactions were introduced. From the obtained results, SSHAC is recommended as a highly efficient adsorbent for removal of AMOX from aqueous solutions
Wastewater treatment plants operators prefer to make adjustments because they are more cost effective, to use the existing tank instead of building new ones. In this case an imported materials would be used as bio-loads to increase biomass and thus maintain efficiency as the next organic loading increases.In the present study, a local substance "pumice stone" was used as a biological carrier in the aeration tank, and the experiments were carried out in five stages: without biological carriers, filling ratio of 4%,10%,20%, and25% with pumice stone, the maximum organic loading at each stage (1.1884, 1.2144, 1.9432, 2.7768, 3.3141)g BOD /l.d respectively.Other experiments were carried out to determine the best filling ratio, the SS remova
... Show MoreThe Electro-Fenton oxidation process is one of the essential advanced electrochemical oxidation processes used to treat Phenol and its derivatives in wastewater. The Electro-Fenton oxidation process was carried out at an ambient temperature at different current density (2, 4, 6, 8 mA/cm2) for up to 6 h. Sodium Sulfate at a concentration of 0.05M was used as a supporting electrolyte, and 0.4 mM of Ferrous ion concentration (Fe2+) was used as a catalyst. The electrolyte cell consists of graphite modified by an electrodepositing layer of PbO2 on its surface as anode and carbon fiber modified with Graphene as a cathode. The results indicated that Phenol concentration decreases with an increase in current dens
... Show MoreThe current study uses the flame fragment deposition (FFD) method to synthesize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from Iraqi liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is used as a carbon source. To carry out the synthesis steps, a homemade reactor was used. To eliminate amorphous impurities, the CNTs were sonicated in a 30 percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution at ambient temperature. To remove the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) generated during LPG combustion, sonication in an acetone bath is used. The produced products were investigated and compared with standard Multi-walled carbon nanotube MWCNTs (95%), Sigma, Aldrich, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy, scanning el
... Show MoreIn this paper, two types of iron oxide nanomaterial (Fe3O4) and nanocomposite (T-Fe3O4) were created from the bio-waste mass of tangerine peel. These two materials were utilized for adsorption tests to remove cefixime (CFX) from an aqueous solution. Before the adsorption application, both adsorbents have been characterized by various characterizations such as XRD, FTIR, VSM, TEM, and FESEM. The mesoporous nano-crystalline structure of Fe3O4 and T-Fe3O4 nanocomposite with less than 100-nm diameter is confirmed. The adsorption of the obtained adsorbents was evaluated for CFX removal by adjusting several operation parameters to optimize the removal. The optimal conditions for CFX removal were found to be an initial concentration of 40 and 50 m
... Show MoreIn this study, oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) with H2O2 as an oxidant was studied, whereas the catalyst used was zirconium oxide supported on Activated carbon (AC). Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) was impregnated over prepared activated carbon (AC) and characterized by various techniques such as XRD, FTIR, BET, SEM, and EDX. This composite was used as a heterogeneous catalyst for oxidation desulfurization of simulated oil. The results of this study showed that ZrO2/AC composite exhibited significant catalytic activity and stability, effectively lowering sulfur content under mild conditions. Factors such as reaction temperature (30, 40, 50, 60°C), time (5, 10, 15,20,30,60, 80 100 min), catalyst dose (0.3, 0.5,
... Show MorePiroxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used in the treatment of musculo-skeletal and joint disorders. The problem with this drug is its poor solubility in water and hence poor bioavailability after oral administration. In order to improve its solubility and dissolution behavior, hydrophilic additives such as starch, lactose, superdisintegrants including crospovidone (C.P), cross carmellose sodium (CCS), and sodium starch glycolate (SSG) were physically dry mixed with the drug by simple trituration. The improvement in the solubility in 0.1 N HCl was obtained as the amount of starch or lactose increased in the physical mixture, while for superdisintegrants, they further improve the solubility when they are present in s
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