This is the first study to carry out a laboratory-scale assay to assess the potentiality of continuous liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane (CLLE DCM ) and high-power fractional distillation (HPFD) as a treatment to decontaminate the wastewater generated by the petroleum industry (WW). The analytical parameters of treated wastewater (TWW) evidenced a remarkable quality improvement compared to the original WW. CLLE DCM -HPFD yielded 92.4%-98.5% of the WW mass as more environmentally friendly water. Compared to the original values determined in the WW, total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) decreased by 95.0%-100.0%, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) decreased by 90.5%-99.9%. Taking into account the yield of the treated water, the amount of pollutant removed, and the risks of each process, the order of the potentiality of these treatments, from highest to lowest, was HPFD > CLLE DCM -HPFD > CLLE DCM . CLLE DCM treatment alone produced TWW with poorer quality, and the CLLE DCM -HPFD sequence involved the greatest consumption of time and energy (0.390-0.905 kWh/kg). CLLE DCM -only was the least effective treatment because the TWW obtained failed to comply with the regulations of oil-producing countries.

An L-glutathione-functionalized silica adsorbent was applied in this study to remove malathion from aqueous media. This adsorbent has demonstrated an improved adsorption efficiency of malathion. The maximum uptake achieved was 130 mg g−1 at pH 8. Equilibrium was reached after about 90 min. A pseudo-second-order model best described the adsorption kinetics. The adsorption isotherms were best simulated by the Freundlich model. The functional groups are thermally stable up to about 150 °C. The elemental analysis results indicated high glutathione ligand densities. The results of this study show that the environmentally friendly L-glutathione functionalized silica is a promising candidate for the removal of malathion from water at the industrial level.