Pharmaceuticals are organic compound hardly biodegradable such as anticancer drugs, antibiotics, hormones and anti-inflammatory. Even in low concentrations, they could disrupt microbial ecology, increase the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and could also pose a threat to human health. This study aims to explore the feasibility of powdered activated carbon (PAC) for the removal of two pharmaceuticals, amoxicillin and paracetamol from aqueous solution. The textural and the chemical characterization of PAC, the kinetic study, the analysis of the pharmaceuticals adsorption mechanisms, PAC�s concentration and the effect of pH, have been carried out. The findings showed that the activated carbon is micro-mesoporous with large specific surface area (1147.48 m2/g) and pHPZC of 6.5; while the chemical composition indicated the presence of the hydroxyl, carboxylic and lactonic groups. The amount of the pharmaceuticals adsorbed onto the PAC increased with contact time with maximal values of 4.99 mg and 4,20 mg/g for amoxicillin and paracetamol, respectively. The adsorption kinetics were modeled in nonlinear forms, demonstrating that pseudo-second-order model adequately describes the adsorption of amoxicillin and paracetamol onto PAC. The equilibrium data analysis showed that the Langmuir and Freundlich models fitted well the experimental data of amoxicillin and paracetamol, respectively. It also seems that the removal of amoxicillin and paracetamol increases with the increase of PAC concentration. Concerning the pH effect, it appears that the retention of amoxicillin is more favored in medium to slightly acidic medium, unlike paracetamol which the adsorption is possible regardless of the pH medium when pH ranged from 2 to 9.

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