Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF DISPERSION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Currently, pharmaceutical contamination in aquatic systems is a growing environmental concern. This pollution stems from sources, such as improper disposal of unused medications, pharmaceutical industry waste, and excretion of unmetabolized drugs. Among pharmaceuticals, beta-lactam antibiotics are the most widely used, with ceftriaxone sodium (CFX-Na) being a notable example. This study evaluated the adsorptive removal of CFX-Na using three anion exchange resins (Amberlite IRA-96, Amberlyst A-21, and Amberlyst A-26) and coconut-based activated carbon. The effects of adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial CFX concentration, temperature, and pH on removal efficiency were examined. Adsorption data were evaluated through isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic models, and desorption studies were also conducted. Amberlite IRA-96 achieved the highest removal efficiency (95.78 +/- 0.11%) under optimal conditions: 0.025 g dosage, 180 minutes contact time, 298.15 K, pH 4, and 100 mg/L initial concentration. FTIR analyses were performed for all adsorbents, and XRD analysis was used for IRA-96 before and after adsorption. Isotherm modeling indicated the best fits to the Flory-Huggins model for IRA-96 (R-2 = 0.9937), the Henry model for A-21 and activated carbon (R-2 = 0.9243 and 0.9277), and the Temkin model for A-26 (R-2 = 0.9297). Kinetic analysis mostly followed the pseudo-second-order model (R-2 > 0.95), suggesting chemisorption as the main mechanism, though physical adsorption contribute in the case of Amberlyst A-21. Thermodynamic results showed exothermic and spontaneous adsorption for IRA-96, while other adsorbents showed endothermic behavior. Notably, Amberlyst A-26 displayed the highest theoretical adsorption capacity (177.17 mg/g) and adsorption energy (316.2 kJ/mol), underscoring its potential as a cost-effective, efficient, reusable material for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.