Abstract
Atenolol is a β-blocker considered to be an emerging contaminant due to its potential risk to aquatic ecosystems and human health. The removal of atenolol from water was studied using pumice stone, an amorphous, porous, and low-cost adsorbent. The adsorption process was evaluated in ultrapure water by kinetic, pH, and isotherm batch assays; the matrix effect of wastewater and desorption using ultrapure water were evaluated as well. The adsorption of atenolol in pumice stone adjusted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model showed fast adsorption in the first 2 h and reached final equilibrium after 48 h. The highest removal in ultrapure water was at pH 7.0. The maximum experimental adsorption capacity obtained for ultrapure water and actual wastewater ranged from 0.632 to 0.154 mg/g, respectively. The equilibrium adsorption experiments showed S-shaped isotherms following the Freundlich model and an increase in adsorption capacity as equilibrium concentration increased. Desorption was up to 55%, demonstrating the potential regeneration of the adsorbent, even on site, using ultrapure water. Furthermore, the results for atenolol, a cationic substance (pKa 9.6), suggest the application of negatively charged pumice as an adsorbent for similar substances of concern.
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The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Vice-Rectory of Research and Extension (VIE) of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica for funding (Project Number 1460-059) and Agregados de Pómez from Guanacaste, Costa Rica, for providing the pumice material. The authors are thankful to Luuk C. Rietveld (TUDELFT) for his valuable comments and suggestions to the manuscript. Furthermore, the authors are grateful to Eng. Estefany Muñoz Zamora (Holcim (Costa Rica) S.A.) for the X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) analyses of the pumice.
Funding
This work was financed by the Vice-Rectory of Research and Extension (VIE) of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Project Number 1460-059.
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JQ-R performed the experiments, analysed and interpreted the data, and wrote the initial draft. AL-E collaborated on initial ideas of the research and the methodology design and reviewed and edited the final manuscript. FR-G collaborated in the acquisition of the financial support for the project leading to this publication. LGR-E collaborated on initial ideas of the research and the methodology design and wrote, reviewed, and edited the final manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Quesada-Rodríguez, J., Ledezma-Espinoza, A., Roa-Gutiérrez, F. et al. Evaluation of pumice stone as an alternative low-cost adsorbent for atenolol removal, an emerging contaminant. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19, 3177–3188 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03391-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03391-2