Adsorption of Covid-19-related drug from contaminated water using activated carbon

Chloroquine has been adopted in some countries such as Brazil as a Covid-19 prevention protocol; consequently, chloroquine has contaminated water resources in large quantities. In response to this menace, an adsorbent material from animal bone was used to remove chloroquine from contaminated water. Notably, no drug adsorption studies have been conducted in the past. The adsorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and zeta potential measurements that exhibited favorable characteristics for the adsorbent. In this study, it was determined that the optimal mass of the adsorbent was 0.02 g at pH 7. The kinetic study demonstrated that 300 min was sufficient to reach equilibrium, and the best fit was pseudo-second-order. The adsorption isotherms were fitted in the Langmuir model, obtaining a maximum adsorption capacity of 77.60 mg–1 at a temperature of 298 K. The thermodynamic parameters demonstrated a spontaneous, exothermic, and reversible process. Briefly, the adsorbent used had the potential to remove emerging pollutants from the environment.