Preliminary Investigation of Various Low-cost Organic and Inorganic Materials for Carbendazim Sorption – Advantages, Disadvantages and Significance of pH

Carbendazim, a widely used fungicide, is frequently detected in agricultural runoff and in surface and groundwater, raising environmental and public health concerns.The efficient removal of carbendazim from water sources remains a significant challenge, especially at different pH conditions.This study evaluates the sorption performance of several organic and inorganic materials for the removal of carbendazim ( 1 mg l -1 ) from aqueous solutions across a pH range of 3-6.A series of batch experiments was conducted using fruit-processing by-products (olive, cherry, and sour cherry pits) and various zeolite samples (natural zeolite clinoptilolite and its modified forms enriched with sodium, iron or sulphur).The results showed that only sodium-rich natural zeolite and sour cherry pits achieved notable removal efficiencies.Sodium-rich natural zeolite exhibited maximum performance of up to 99.0 % at pH o = 3.02, while sour cherry pits achieved 58.4 % efficiency at pH o = 5.81.The findings demonstrate that both sorbent type and solution pH are key factors affecting carbendazim removal.These findings provide a basis for the development of optimised, pH-sensitive sorption-based treatment strategies for pesticide-contaminated waters using environmentally friendly and readily available materials.