Performance of olive pomace as an alternative adsorbent pharmaceutical contaminant removal from water. A review

ABSTRACT

Water pollution stands as a significant global challenge for environmental sustainability, necessitating more effective water treatment methods. Among these, adsorption emerges as a promising solution for eliminating persistent inorganic and organic compounds due to its cost-effectiveness, simplicity, and efficiency compared to alternative techniques. However, the high demand for activated carbon in water treatment, coupled with its high costs, restricts its use. Biomass waste, such as olive pomace presents a viable alternative. Its carbonaceous nature and ready availability make it an attractive precursor for producing activated carbon. Utilising olive pomace not only yields an efficient adsorbent but also addresses solid waste management concerns. This study aims to comprehensively explore the potential of activated carbon derived from olive pomace as an optimal adsorbent for pharmaceutical removal in wastewater treatment. A review of literature reveals the suitability of this precursor, detailing its composition, activation methods, applicability, and efficacy in pharmaceutical removal from water. Furthermore, various kinetic and isothermal adsorption models for pollutant removal by activated carbon from olive pomace are examined. The insights gleaned from this analysis hold relevance for chemists and engineers seeking to leverage and optimise activated carbon in industrial wastewater treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Activated carbon
• adsorption
• biomass waste
• kinetic adsorption
• olive pomace
• pharmaceutical effluent

Author contributions

ZR helped in conceptualisation; data curation; formal analysis; investigation; methodology; visualisation; roles/writing – original draft; and writing – review and editing. RC was involved in formal analysis; investigation; methodology. NE helped in investigation; methodology; software; supervision; validation. ST performed investigation; project administration; resources. SR contributed to project administration; resources; supervision; validation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

Additional information

Funding

The research is supported by Laboratory of Molecular Chemistry, Materials and Catalysis, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sultan Moulay Slimane University and Research Laboratory on Materials Reactivity and Process Optimization, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Morocco.