A large amount of pharmacologically active substances are used yearly to treat human and animal illnesses, in farming and aquaculture. These substances can be excreted unmetabolized or as active metabolites; they can escape degradation in sewage treatment plants and can be detected in sewage, surface, ground, and drinking waters. Improper disposal of expired medications also contributes to this contamination. Atenolol (β-blocker) and hydrochlorothiazide (diuretic) have been detected in several sampling sites along rivers Po and Lambro: these two drugs are poorly metabolized in humans, and are therefore mainly excreted as parent compounds (90-95%). Many drugs don’t exhibit an acute toxicity but have a significant cumulative effect on the metabolism of non-target organisms and ecosystem as a whole, showing specific pharmacological and physiological functions. Zeolites are microporous aluminosilicate minerals which combine a well-defined crystalline structure, including regular void spaces (pores and cavities), with well-defined functional groups generated by the controlled substitution of elements into silicate or aluminumphosphate lattices. These materials can be used as alternative sorbent materials for several classes of contaminants such as hydrocarbons, MTBE and also pharmaceuticals. In this study, the retention of atenolol, ketoprofen and hydrochlorothiazide on three types of zeolite Beta is investigated. The zeolites differ from each other in hydrophobicity degree (different Si/Al ratios). To accomplish this task, the adsorption properties are characterized by adsorption isotherm determination; the influence of both ionic strength and pH on the adsorption properties are single out. Since the knowledge of the mechanisms governing zeolite/pharmaceuticals interaction can be helpful for the potential use of these minerals in wastewater remediation, structural and thermogravimetric measurements are carried out to investigate the role of the zeolite structure on the drug retention. The results demonstrate that Beta zeolite show fast adsorption kinetics and good removal properties for the studied drugs.
Adsorption of pharmaceuticals from water by zeolites
SARTI, Elena;PASTI, Luisa;MARTUCCI, Annalisa;DONDI, Francesco
2011
Abstract
A large amount of pharmacologically active substances are used yearly to treat human and animal illnesses, in farming and aquaculture. These substances can be excreted unmetabolized or as active metabolites; they can escape degradation in sewage treatment plants and can be detected in sewage, surface, ground, and drinking waters. Improper disposal of expired medications also contributes to this contamination. Atenolol (β-blocker) and hydrochlorothiazide (diuretic) have been detected in several sampling sites along rivers Po and Lambro: these two drugs are poorly metabolized in humans, and are therefore mainly excreted as parent compounds (90-95%). Many drugs don’t exhibit an acute toxicity but have a significant cumulative effect on the metabolism of non-target organisms and ecosystem as a whole, showing specific pharmacological and physiological functions. Zeolites are microporous aluminosilicate minerals which combine a well-defined crystalline structure, including regular void spaces (pores and cavities), with well-defined functional groups generated by the controlled substitution of elements into silicate or aluminumphosphate lattices. These materials can be used as alternative sorbent materials for several classes of contaminants such as hydrocarbons, MTBE and also pharmaceuticals. In this study, the retention of atenolol, ketoprofen and hydrochlorothiazide on three types of zeolite Beta is investigated. The zeolites differ from each other in hydrophobicity degree (different Si/Al ratios). To accomplish this task, the adsorption properties are characterized by adsorption isotherm determination; the influence of both ionic strength and pH on the adsorption properties are single out. Since the knowledge of the mechanisms governing zeolite/pharmaceuticals interaction can be helpful for the potential use of these minerals in wastewater remediation, structural and thermogravimetric measurements are carried out to investigate the role of the zeolite structure on the drug retention. The results demonstrate that Beta zeolite show fast adsorption kinetics and good removal properties for the studied drugs.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
