High-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration

The removal of trace pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater remains a critical challenge owing to the limitations of conventional adsorbents, including slow kinetics, high internal diffusion resistance, and limited reusability. To overcome these challenges, this study presents a novel amine-fun...

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Main Authors: Yusoff, Nor Aida, Abdullah, Luqman Chuah, Md. Jamil, Siti Nurul Ain, Ting, Teo Ming, Zainuddin, Halimatun Sakdiah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117693/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117693/1/117693.pdf
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author Yusoff, Nor Aida
Abdullah, Luqman Chuah
Md. Jamil, Siti Nurul Ain
Ting, Teo Ming
Zainuddin, Halimatun Sakdiah
author_facet Yusoff, Nor Aida
Abdullah, Luqman Chuah
Md. Jamil, Siti Nurul Ain
Ting, Teo Ming
Zainuddin, Halimatun Sakdiah
author_sort Yusoff, Nor Aida
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The removal of trace pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater remains a critical challenge owing to the limitations of conventional adsorbents, including slow kinetics, high internal diffusion resistance, and limited reusability. To overcome these challenges, this study presents a novel amine-functionalized adsorbent, EDA- ((PE/PP)-g-GMA), which was synthesized via radiation-induced grafting. The material exhibited exceptional adsorption performance, achieving >96 % naproxen removal in a fixed-bed system under high-flow conditions (7 mL/min) and a short bed height (1 cm). With effluent concentrations below 0.25 mg/L, approaching the regulatory limits established for drinking water, the adsorbent exhibited a high capacity of 300.33 mg/g and successfully treated 3.78 L before reaching breakthrough. The rapid adsorption of naproxen was attributed to the abundance of active functional groups on the surface of EDA-((PE/PP)-g-GMA), following pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Sips isotherm, with active site interactions serving as the rate-limiting step for efficient uptake. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed an exothermic and spontaneous process, whereas FTIR and XPS analyses revealed hydrogen bonding and electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions governing adsorption. Reusability studies demonstrated stable performance over nine cycles without a significant loss of functionality. The fixed- bed adsorption process aligned well with the Thomas, Yoon-Nelson, and BDST models, confirming its scalability. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the novel adsorbent in fixed-bed systems, highlighting its potential for large-scale environmental remediation while addressing the limitations of current technologies, which is essential for environmental protection and public health preservation against the long-term impacts of pharmaceutical pollution.
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spelling upm-1176932025-06-11T02:39:47Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117693/ High-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration Yusoff, Nor Aida Abdullah, Luqman Chuah Md. Jamil, Siti Nurul Ain Ting, Teo Ming Zainuddin, Halimatun Sakdiah The removal of trace pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater remains a critical challenge owing to the limitations of conventional adsorbents, including slow kinetics, high internal diffusion resistance, and limited reusability. To overcome these challenges, this study presents a novel amine-functionalized adsorbent, EDA- ((PE/PP)-g-GMA), which was synthesized via radiation-induced grafting. The material exhibited exceptional adsorption performance, achieving >96 % naproxen removal in a fixed-bed system under high-flow conditions (7 mL/min) and a short bed height (1 cm). With effluent concentrations below 0.25 mg/L, approaching the regulatory limits established for drinking water, the adsorbent exhibited a high capacity of 300.33 mg/g and successfully treated 3.78 L before reaching breakthrough. The rapid adsorption of naproxen was attributed to the abundance of active functional groups on the surface of EDA-((PE/PP)-g-GMA), following pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Sips isotherm, with active site interactions serving as the rate-limiting step for efficient uptake. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed an exothermic and spontaneous process, whereas FTIR and XPS analyses revealed hydrogen bonding and electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions governing adsorption. Reusability studies demonstrated stable performance over nine cycles without a significant loss of functionality. The fixed- bed adsorption process aligned well with the Thomas, Yoon-Nelson, and BDST models, confirming its scalability. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the novel adsorbent in fixed-bed systems, highlighting its potential for large-scale environmental remediation while addressing the limitations of current technologies, which is essential for environmental protection and public health preservation against the long-term impacts of pharmaceutical pollution. Elsevier 2025-05 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117693/1/117693.pdf Yusoff, Nor Aida and Abdullah, Luqman Chuah and Md. Jamil, Siti Nurul Ain and Ting, Teo Ming and Zainuddin, Halimatun Sakdiah (2025) High-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 74. art. no. 107802. pp. 1-20. ISSN 2214-7144 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214714425008748 Chemical engineering - Research waste chemistry 10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.107802
spellingShingle Chemical engineering - Research
waste
chemistry
Yusoff, Nor Aida
Abdullah, Luqman Chuah
Md. Jamil, Siti Nurul Ain
Ting, Teo Ming
Zainuddin, Halimatun Sakdiah
High-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration
title High-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration
title_full High-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration
title_fullStr High-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration
title_full_unstemmed High-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration
title_short High-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration
title_sort high-performance fixed-bed adsorption using active-site-controlled amine-functionalized adsorbent for naproxen removal: insights into isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration
topic Chemical engineering - Research
waste
chemistry
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117693/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117693/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117693/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/117693/1/117693.pdf