Skip to main content
Log in

Removal of clofibric acid from aqueous solution by polyethylenimine-modified chitosan beads

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Polyethylenimine (PEI)-modified chitosan was prepared and used to remove clofibric acid (CA) from aqueous solution. PEI was chemically grafted on the porous chitosan through a crosslinking reaction, and the effects of PEI concentration and reaction time in the preparation on the adsorption of clofibric acid were optimized. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that PEI macromolecules were uniformly grafted on the porous chitosan, and the analysis of pore size distribution indicated that more mesopores were formed due to the crosslinking of PEI molecules in the macropores of chitosan. The PEI-modified chitosan had fast adsorption for CA within the initial 5 h, while this adsorbent exhibited an adsorption capacity of 349 mg·g−1 for CA at pH 5.0 according to the Langmuir fitting, higher than 213 mg·g−1 on the porous chitosan. The CA adsorption on the PEI-modified chitosan was pH-dependent, and the maximum adsorption was achieved at pH 4.0. Based on the surface charge analysis and comparison of different pharmaceuticals adsorption, electrostatic interaction dominated the sorption of CA on the PEI-modified chitosan. The PEI-modified chitosan has a potential application for the removal of some anionic micropollutants from water or wastewater.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Fatta-Kassinos D, Meric S, Nikolaou A. Pharmaceutical residues in environmental waters and wastewater: current state of knowledge and future research. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2011, 399(1):251–275

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Li W Z, Sui Q, Lu S G, Qiu Z F, Lin K F. Identification and ecotoxicity assessment of intermediates generated during the degradation of clofibric acid by advanced oxidation processes. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 2012, 6(4):445–454

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Tixier C, Singer H P, Oellers S, Müller S R. Occurrence and fate of carbamazepine, clofibric acid, diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen in surface waters. Environmental Science and Technology, 2003, 37(6): 1061–1068 doi:10.1021/es025834r

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Boyd G R, Reemtsma H, Grimm D A, Mitra S. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in surface and treated waters of Louisiana, USA and Ontario, Canada. The Science of the Total Environment, 2003, 311(1–3):135–149

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Xu W H, Zhang G, Zou S C, Li X D, Liu Y C. Determination of selected antibiotics in the Victoria Harbour and the Pearl River, South China using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Environmental Pollution, 2007, 145(3):672–679

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Dinsdale R M, Guwy A J. The effect of signal suppression and mobile phase composition on the simultaneous analysis of multiple classes of acidic/neutral pharmaceuticals and personal care products in surface water by solid-phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography-negative electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Talanta, 2008, 74(5):1299–1312

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Jones O A H, Voulvoulis N, Lester J N. Aquatic environmental assessment of the top 25 English prescription pharmaceuticals. Water Research, 2002, 36(20):5013–5022

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Weigel S, Kuhlmann J, Hühnerfuss H. Drugs and personal care products as ubiquitous pollutants: occurrence and distribution of clofibric acid, caffeine and DEET in the North Sea. The Science of the Total Environment, 2002, 295(1–3):131–141

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Thomas K V, Hilton M J. The occurrence of selected human pharmaceutical compounds in UK estuaries. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2004, 49(5–6):436–444

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Barnes K K, Kolpin D W, Furlong E T, Zaugg S D, Meyer M T, Barber L B. A national reconnaissance of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants in the United States — I) groundwater. The Science of the Total Environment, 2008, 402(2–3):192–200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Gagné F, Blaise C, André C. Occurrence of pharmaceutical products in a municipal effluent and toxicity to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hepatocytes. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2006, 64(3):329–336 PMID:15923035

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Nassef M, Matsumoto S, Seki M, Khalil F, Kang I J, Shimasaki Y, Oshima Y, Honjo T. Acute effects of triclosan, diclofenac and carbamazepine on feeding performance of Japanese medaka fish (Oryzias latipes). Chemosphere, 2010, 80(9):1095–1100

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pfluger P, Dietrich D R. Effects on pharmaceuticals in the environment-an overview and principle considerations. In: Kummerer K, ed. Pharmaceuticals in the Environment. Heidelberg: Springer, 2011, 11–17

    Google Scholar 

  14. Khetan S K, Collins T J. Human pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment: a challenge to Green Chemistry. Chemical Reviews, 2007, 107(6):2319–2364

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Heberer T. Occurrence, fate, and removal of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment: a review of recent research data. Toxicology Letters, 2002, 131(1–2):5–17

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Ternes T A. Occurrence of drugs in German sewage treatment plants and rivers. Water Research, 1998, 32(11):3245–3260

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Nunes B, Gaio A R, Carvalho F, Guilhermino L. Behaviour and biomarkers of oxidative stress in Gambusia holbrooki after acute exposure to widely used pharmaceuticals and a detergent. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2008, 71(2):341–354

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Heberer T. Tracking persistent pharmaceutical residues from municipal sewage to drinking water. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2002, 266(3–4):175–189

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Matamoros V, García J, Bayona J M. Organic micropollutant removal in a full-scale surface flow constructed wetland fed with secondary effluent. Water Research, 2008, 42(3):653–660

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Mestre A S, Pinto M L, Pires J, Nogueira J M F, Carvalho A P. Effect of solution pH on the removal of clofibric acid by cork-based activated carbon. Carbon, 2010, 48(4):92–980

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Simazaki D, Fujiwara J, Manabe S, Matsuda M, Asami M, Kunikane S. Removal of selected pharmaceuticals by chlorination, coagulation-sedimentation and powdered activated carbon treatment. Water Science and Technology, 2008, 58(5):1129–1135

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Hasan Z, Jeon J, Jhung S H. Adsorptive removal of naproxen and clofibric acid from water using metal-organic frameworks. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2012, 209–210(30):151–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Bui T X, Choi H. Adsorptive removal of selected pharmaceuticals by mesoporous silica SBA-15. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2009, 168(2–3):602–608

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Wei H R, Deng S B, Huang Q, Nie Y, Wang B, Huang J, Yu G. Regenerable granular carbon nano tubes/alumina hybrid adsorbents for diclofenac sodium and carbamazepine removal from aqueous solution. Water Research, 2013, 47(12):4139–4147

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Chatterjee S, Lee D S, Lee M W, Woo S H. Enhanced adsorption of congo red from aqueous solutions by chitosan hydrogel beads impregnated with cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide. Bioresource Technology, 2009, 100(11):2803–2809

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Navarro R R, Sumi K, Fujii N, Matsumura M. Mercury removal from wastewater using porous cellulose carrier modified with polyethyleneimine. Water Research, 1996, 30(10):2488–2494

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Deng S, Ting Y P. Polyethylenimine-modified fungal biomass as a high-capacity adsorbent for chromium anion removal. Environmental Science and Technology, 2005, 39(21):8490–8496

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Deng S, Ma R, Yu Q, Huang J, Yu G. Enhanced removal of pentachlorophenol and 2,4-D from aqueous solution by an aminated biosorbent. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2009, 165(1–3):408–414

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. United States National Library of Medicine (USNLM). Toxicology Data Network. http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov. (accessed 26 September 2008)

  30. Nebot C, Gibb S W, Boyd K G. Quantification of human pharmaceuticals in water samples by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2007, 598(1):87–94

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Yamamoto E, Sakaguchi T, Kajima T, Mano N, Asakawa N. Novel methylcellulose-immobilized cation-exchange precolumn for online enrichment of cationic drugs in plasma. Journal of Chromatography. B, Analytical Technologies in the Biomedical and Life Sciences, 2004, 807(2):327–334

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Yu Q, Deng S B, Yu G. Selective removal of perfluorooctane sulfonate from aqueous solution using chitosan-based molecularly imprinted polymer adsorbents. Water Research, 2008, 42(12):3089–3097

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Zhang Q Y, Deng S B, Yu G, Huang J. Removal of perfluorooctane sulfonate from aqueous solution by crosslinked chitosan beads: sorption kinetics and uptake mechanism. Bioresource Technology, 2011, 102(3):2265–2271

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Gao Y H, Deshusses M A. Adsorption of clofibric acid and ketoprofen onto powdered activated carbon: effect of natural organic matter. Environmental Technology, 2011, 33(15–16):1719–1727

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Lindqvist N, Tuhkanen T, Kronberg L. Occurrence of acidic pharmaceuticals in raw and treated sewages and in receiving waters. Water Research, 2005, 39(11):2219–2228

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shubo Deng.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nie, Y., Deng, S., Wang, B. et al. Removal of clofibric acid from aqueous solution by polyethylenimine-modified chitosan beads. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 8, 675–682 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-013-0622-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-013-0622-0

Keywords

Navigation