Entrapping of ibuprofen and atenolol within Y zeolite: a neutron powder characterization after drugs adsorption

Pharmaceuticals products are considered to be among the most common organic wastewater contaminants due to their widespread use and slow natural degradation, which still makes their complete removal from water a challenging task. Due to their unique properties, zeolites have already proved their efficiency as sorbent materials in wastewater treatments. Based on the excellent results obtained, it has been decided to study the removal of two pharmaceutical products (ibuprofen and atenolol) from aqueous solution by organophilic zeolite Y (Si/Al ratio=200). The aim was to determine the zeolite efficiency in adsorption processes of pharmaceutical compounds characterized by high molecular dimensions. Results gained suggest that Y zeolite could be successfully used as sorbent material in water remediation processes from drugs.