Alginate-Immobilized Nopal-Chitosan Beads for Adsorptive Treatment of Pharmaceutical Pollution
Chemistry- Grade:
- 10
- Teacher:
- Alfred Santos
Every year over 100,000 tons of pharmaceutical products are consumed globally. Many of these products are often thrown into the environment with no eco-friendly treatment resulting in secondary pollutants. For this reason, this research aimed to synthesize alginate-immobilized nopal-chitosan beads to adsorb pharmaceuticals and prevent further contamination. To test the bead’s adsorption, I prepared aspirin solutions of 0.05 mg/ml, 0.1 mg/ml, 0.2 mg/ml, 0.3 mg/ml, in 10 ml test tubes and added different amounts of microencapsulated beads (0.5 g, 1g, 2g, 3g) then placed the tubes into an orbital shaker. Water samples were collected from each tube during 30-minute, 1-hour, 2-hour, and 3-hour periods, and the absorbance was measured at 274 nm using a Vernier UV-vis spectrophotometer. My results indicated that the longer the contact time, the higher the removal rate of aspirin is. The higher the dosage of beads, the greater the adsorption efficiency. The beads worked through chemisorption on a heterogeneous surface. The nopal–chitosan microencapsulated beads effectively removed aspirin from water through adsorption. Their biodegradability makes them a promising eco-friendly material for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.
Great project!