Aim:

To develop a chemically modified bioadsorbent from shrimp waste for the removal of drugs from wastewater.

Methods:

Bioadsorbents were made by pyrolysis and chemical activation with phosphoric acid, urea, and ferromagnetite, using shrimp waste as a precursor. Results: The bioadsorbents were characterized by FT-IR spectrophotometry, true volume, surface area, Zero Point Charge (PZC), and Boehm titrations. They were also challenged based on their adsorbent capacity with respect to eight of the most widely consumed drugs in Colombia. The interrelation of these variables was studied by multivariate analysis.

Results:

The biochar (CAR) contained a prevalence of elements such as carbon and oxygen, product of pyrolysis, intensifying the bands of C-O-C, CH2 and some phenolic groups. The surface of the materials activated with H3PO4 (CA1:3A and CA1:3B) contained acid groups such as P=O, P–O–C and P=OOH, but these did not significantly increase the actual volume and specific surface area (11.4 m2/g) when compared to EE (10.3 m2/g). In CA1:3U, phenolic groups prevailed and basic ones such as C-O and C-N, while CAM had Fe-O and FeOH groups. Thus, CAM and CA1:3U showed a high clearance rate, especially for verapamil (~100%), amlodipine (>45%), and ampicillin (>45%). In contrast, metformin removal was inefficient with most adsorbents (<40%).

Conclusion:

These biosorbents are presented as an alternative to reduce water contaminated by drugs, especially verapamil and amlodipine, and help mitigate the environmental impact caused by shrimp waste.