Valorisation of coal gasification slag and fly ash to mesoporous activated carbon @zeolite socony mobil-5 composite for preconcentration of pharmaceuticals and their removal

Xoliswa Cingo; Azile Nqombolo; Anele Mpupa; Luthando Nyaba; Odwa Mapazi; Philiswa Nosizo Nomngongo

Arabian Journal of Chemistry (Jul 2024)

Valorisation of coal gasification slag and fly ash to mesoporous activated carbon @zeolite socony mobil-5 composite for preconcentration of pharmaceuticals and their removal

Xoliswa Cingo,
Azile Nqombolo,
Anele Mpupa,
Luthando Nyaba,
Odwa Mapazi,
Philiswa Nosizo Nomngongo

Affiliations

Xoliswa Cingo: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein Campus, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa; Department of Science and Innovation-National Research Foundation South African Research Chair Initiative (DSI-NRF SARChI) in Nanotechnology for Water, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa; Analytical Chemistry Division, Mintek, 200 Malibongwe Drive, Randburg 2194, South Africa
Azile Nqombolo: Department of Chemistry, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa
Anele Mpupa: Department of Science and Innovation-National Research Foundation South African Research Chair Initiative (DSI-NRF SARChI) in Nanotechnology for Water, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa; Agricultural Research Council-Vegetable, Industrial and Medicinal Plants (ARC-VIMP), Roodeplaat, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
Luthando Nyaba: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein Campus, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa; Department of Science and Innovation-National Research Foundation South African Research Chair Initiative (DSI-NRF SARChI) in Nanotechnology for Water, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
Odwa Mapazi: Analytical Chemistry Division, Mintek, 200 Malibongwe Drive, Randburg 2194, South Africa
Philiswa Nosizo Nomngongo: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein Campus, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa; Department of Science and Innovation-National Research Foundation South African Research Chair Initiative (DSI-NRF SARChI) in Nanotechnology for Water, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa; Corresponding author.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 17, no. 7
p. 105838

Abstract

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Upcycling industrial solid waste, such as coal gasification slag and fly ash, to functional adsorbents with unique structures for water decontamination is of great importance to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6.0. This study used coal gasification slag and fly ash to synthesise mesoporous activated carbon @zeolite socony mobil-5 (MAC@ZSM-5) composite. Various analytical techniques were used to investigate the surface, morphological, and structural properties of the MAC@ZSM-5 composite. The MAC@ZSM-5 composite had a relatively high specific surface and was classified as a mesoporous adsorbent. The MAC@ZSM-5 composite was used as an adsorbent in ultrasound-assisted micro solid phase extraction (UA-µSPE) for effective preconcentration and removal of aspirin (ASP), ibuprofen (IBP), and paracetamol (PCT) from water samples before determination by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The Langmuir adsorption isotherm characterised the adsorptive removal method, while the kinetics followed a pseudo-second order type. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption process was endothermic, spontaneous, and chemisorption. Additionally, the UA-µSPE/HPLC-DAD method displayed a good linear range of 0.1–1000 µg/L, with a coefficient of determination greater than 0.99. The developed method had a good performance, as shown by the relatively low limits detection (LODs: 0.017–0.064 µg/L) and quantification (LOQs: 0.057–0.21 µg/L) as well as high precision (relative standard deviation (%RSD) < 5 %). The proposed method was applied successfully for preconcentration and removal of the target analytes from real water samples. The MAC@ZSM-5 composite was reusable (up to 5 cycles) and proved a promising adsorbent for effective extraction, preconcentration, and adsorptive removal of emerging contaminants from water bodies.

Published in Arabian Journal of Chemistry

ISSN: 1878-5352 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/arabian-journal-of-chemistry/

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