Efficiency of Membrane Technology Activated Charcoal and a Clay Micelle Complex forthe Removal of Ibuprofen and Mefenamic Acid
Date
2015-05-03
Authors
Khalaf, Samer
Al-Rimawi, Fuad
Khamis, Mustafa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Kinetic studies on the stability of two non-steroids anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), ibuprofen and mefenamic
acid, in pure water and activated sludge indicated that both pharmaceuticals were resistant to degradation for one
month. The efficiency of sequential advanced membrane technology wastewater treatment plant towards removal of
both drugs from wastewater was investigated. The sequential system included activated sludge, ultrafiltration
(hollow fiber membranes with 100 kDa cutoff, and spiral wound membranes with 20 kDa cutoff), activated carbon
column and reverse osmosis (RO). The overall performance of the integrated plant demonstrated complete removal
of ibuprofen and mefenamic acid from spiked wastewater samples. Activated carbon column was the most effective
component in removing these NSAIDs with a removal efficiency of 98.8% for both ibuprofen and mefenamic acid.
Batch adsorption of both NSAIDs by activated charcoal and a composite micelle (octadecyltrimethylammonium
(ODTMA)–clay (montmorillonite) was determined at 25 ˚C. The results revealed that both adsorptions fit Langmuir
isotherm with Qmax of 66.7 mg/g and 62.5 mg/g for ibuprofen using activated carbon and clay-micelle complex,
respectively, and with Qmax of 90.9 mg/g and 100.0 mg/g for mefenamic acid using activated charcoal and claymicelle
complex, respectively. These results suggest that an integration of ODTMA-clay-micelle complex column in
wastewater treatment plant is highly promising and can lead to an improvement of the removal efficiency of these
drugs from wastewater.
Description
Keywords
Ibuprofen , Mefenamic acid , Wastewater treatment , Stability in sludge , HF-membranes , Activated carbon , Micelle–clay complex