Diploma Thesis Defense by Mrs. Housein Maria-Georgia
Thesis Title: «ADSORPTION OF PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOUNDS EMFORYING CARBON BASED ADSORBENTS IN THE AQUEOUS PHASE»
Friaday 21February 2020, at: 14:00, Venue: Hall : Κ3.Α17
Examination Committee
- Assistant Professor Nikolaos Xekoukoulotakis (advisor)
- Assistant Professor Paraskevi Panagiotopoulou
- Dr Tyrovola Konstantina
Abstract
The main purpose of this thesis was to study the adsorption capacity of carbon adsorbents in order to remove organic pollutants from the aqueous phase. Specifically the adsorption capacity of reduced graphene oxide RGO#1 was investigated to remove the antidepressant Fluoxetine.
Furthermore, the effect of various factors such as temperature, pH, ionic strength and the presence of wastewater was investigated on the adsorption of the antidepressant on RGO#1.
The adsorption of Fluoxetine on RGO # 1 was studied with the Langmuir model (correlation coefficient R2 = 0.99) and Freundlich model (correlation coefficient R2 = 0.92), at three different temperatures. The adsorption capacity at 40°C had the highest value 0,581 μmol/mg, compared with the values of temperatures of 10°C and 25°C, which were 0.378 µmol/mg and 0.483 µmol/mg, respectively. In addition, the increase in pH positively affects adsorption. The adsorption capacity on RGO#1 was reduced in the presence of synthetic wastewater.
Finally, a thermodynamic study of adsorption on RGO#1 was carried out at three different temperatures In conclusion; the thermodynamic study indicated that the adsorption reaction was a spontaneous and endothermic process. In addition, the standard entropy ΔS0 indicated that Fluoxetine had an affinity for the material RGO#1 that was used in the particular thesis.
