Metoprolol Removal from Water Using Fe۳O۴/TiO۲/Activated Carbon Nanocomposite: Adsorption Isotherm, Kinetics and Thermodynamics

Metoprolol (MTP), a selective beta-blocker with low biodegradability, is an important micro-pollutant that has been widely identified in surface water and wastewater. In this work, the removal of MTP from aqueous solutions has been performed using Iron oxide/Titanium oxide/activated carbon (Fe۳O۴/TiO۲/AC) nanocomposite as a new adsorbent. The nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. The maximum efficiency of MTP removal was ۹۶.۲% at dosage of ۱.۵ g L-۱ of adsorbent dosage , an initial concentration of ۱۰ mg L-۱ of drug, contact time of ۶۰ minutes at ۲۵ °C, and pH = ۸.۰. Freundlich and Pseudo-second-order models were found to be the best fitting isotherm and kinetic models, respectively. In addition, the values of thermodynamic parameters including ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG were: -۷۵.۲۰, -۰.۲۳, and -۷.۵۵ kJ/mol, respectively. These results confirmed that the adsorption process of MTP on Fe۳O۴/TiO۲/AC was exothermic and spontaneous. Fe۳O۴/TiO۲/AC nanocomposite was successfully used for the removal of MTP from real water solutions.