Crystalline Nanocellulose Anchored on Reduced Graphene Oxide for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Aqueous Systems: Adsorbent Characterization and Adsorption Performance

Abstract

Improved adsorption of pharmaceuticals on reduced graphene oxide anchored on a crystalline nanocellulose base was achieved in this study. One-pot synthesis of graphene-nanocrystalline cellulose (G-CNC) hybrid with in-depth characterization was carried out, and the adsorbent's successful synthesis was confirmed through the characteristic peaks observed using FTIR and XRD. Further characterization was done using the surface area and porosity analyzer, TGA, SEM, TEM, and the elemental analyzer. The adsorbent was then applied in the adsorption of aspirin (Asp) and acetaminophen (Acet), which are frequently used over-the-counter anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs. The major mechanism for the adsorption was ascertained to be through electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and π-π interactions with the pharmaceutical. The maximum capacity for sorption obtained for the adsorption of Asp on graphene oxide (GO) and G-CNC was 61.73 mg/g and 99 mg/g, respectively, while those of Acet on GO and G-CNC were 20.41 mg/g and 76.34 mg/g, respectively.

Polysaccharides as Economic and Sustainable Raw Materials for the Preparation of Adsorbents for Water Treatment

“…Approaches to composite materials reported in literature include the preparation of cellulose-based materials using alginate [50][51][52][53][54], chitosan [55][56][57][58][59], hydroxyapatite [60][61][62], crown ethers [63], graphene oxide (GO) [64,65], magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) [66,67], montmorillonite [68][69][70][71][72][73], titanium dioxide [74], collagen [75], bentonite [76,77], and activated carbon [78,79], among others. Some of them are shown in the table below ( Nonetheless, in most of the mentioned cases, the main role of cellulose was just to provide mechanical resistance, a porous matrix insoluble in water, or both, while the metal adsorption capacity was provided by the other materials chosen for the adsorbents' preparation.…”

Nitrogen‐Doped Graphene Nanosheets for Sustainable Removal of Pharmaceutical Contaminants from Water: Kinetics and ANFIS Modeling

“…To develop such an eco-friendly, cost-effective, reusable and efficient technique, adsorption is the first feasible preference owing to its efficiency, simple and easy operation, low-cost and potential recovery of contaminants without any intermediate product. [24][25][26][27] This method does not produce any new by-product, which is a noteworthy advantage over other processes. [18,28,29] In the last few decades, different carbon-based adsorbents such as graphene oxide (GO), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), activated carbon (AC), and biochar have been explored by various researchers as an effective strategy to remove organic contaminants from aqueous matrices.…”

“…Thus, a self‐sustainable, safe, robust, and economical wastewater treatment method is the utmost concern of the environmental technologists for the compounds of interest to be treated with minimal toxic by‐products formation. To develop such an eco‐friendly, cost‐effective, reusable and efficient technique, adsorption is the first feasible preference owing to its efficiency, simple and easy operation, low‐cost and potential recovery of contaminants without any intermediate product [24–27] . This method does not produce any new by‐product, which is a noteworthy advantage over other processes [18,28,29] …”