Analysis of the adsorption of selected pharmaceuticals on a composite material PEBAX/GO

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals are found in aquatic environments around the world. Their presence is dangerous to humans and animals, so it is imperative to remove these substances from the water. As part of this work, a composite material was developed to remove pharmacological compounds contained in water, which was confirmed by the adsorption analysis of sulfadiazine, amoxicillin and tetracycline. Initial studies of pure polymeric materials were carried out to determine their properties. Graphene oxide was selected as the adsorbent due to its adsorption and antibacterial properties. The experiments were carried out in a static system with the use of UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The article contains the results determining the effectiveness of the material and considerations on the adsorption mechanism (isothermal and kinetic models). The fit of the experimental data to the Henry, Langmuir, Freundlich, Toth and Redlich-Peterson isotherms was checked. Models of pseudo-first and pseudo-second order kinetics are considered. The developed material turned out to be suitable for adsorption of all analyzed substances.