Adsorption of clofibric acid by the activated carbon prepared with polyester cloth waste: Study of the operational parameters, kinetic and adsorptive equilibrium using the nοn-linear methοd

The objective of this research work is to examine the feasibility of preparing adsorbent materials from textile waste (polyester) for the elimination of pharmaceutical products such as clofibric acid (CA). The results showed that the adsorbents prepared by chemical activation in the presence of phosphoric acid followed by pyrolysis at 600?C conduct to microporous materials with large specific surfaces. Batch experiments were conducted to study the effect of contact time, initial CA concentration, solution pH and temperature. Elimination yields by adsorption of CA in aqueous solution greater than 95% are obtained with dilute solutions (10 mg L-1) at room temperature and at pH=3. The adsorption kinetic is perfectly described by the pseudo-second-order model and the isotherms are of Freundlich types. The results indicate that this process is spontaneous, efficient and potentially applicable in the removal of CA from water.