ADSORPTION OF ANTIDEPRESSANT (FLUOXETINE) IN AQUEOUS MEDIUM BY BIOSORBENTS PREPARED FROM SUGARCANE BAGASSE: MAGNETIC NANOCOMPOSITE AND ACTIVATED CARBON.

• Grant number: 25/07531-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Elma Neide Vasconcelos Martins Carrilho
• Grantee: Camille Cristina Siguinolfi
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Agrárias (CCA). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Araras , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/08358-0 - Prediction and prioritization of pharmaceuticals in the states of São Paulo and Paraíba aiming at the development of monitoring and removal strategies in aqueous media (PRIOFARMA SP-PB), AP.R

Abstract

The development of water and effluent treatment methods to eliminate emerging contaminants (EC) is a widely discussed topic in the scientific community due to the persistence of these pollutants in the ecosystem and the immeasurable damage they cause to health. Among these, pharmaceuticals stand out, whose presence in water bodies is due to improper disposal and partial excretion by the human body. In the Brazilian context, there has been a significant increase in the consumption of antidepressants since the COVID-19 pandemic, with emphasis on fluoxetine hydrochloride (FLX). Given this problem, it is pertinent to develop materials capable of removing EC from the aqueous medium, considering costs, availability, abundance of raw materials, efficacy, and safety. In this context, biosorption emerges as a viable alternative, using biological materials capable of adsorbing contaminants on their surface. Based on the above, it is proposed to use an agroindustrial residue, sugarcane bagasse (SB), as a precursor in the production of two biosorbents: SB modified with magnetic nanoparticles (NP) of Fe3O4 (SB-NP) and SB-based activated carbon (AC) nanomodified with magnetite (SBAC-NP). The effectiveness of these materials in removing FLX residues from contaminated aquatic environments will be evaluated. Parameters such as sorption capacity, sorption pH and kinetics, and adsorbent dose will be investigated to evaluate the efficiency of drug removal by these materials. The FLX contents will be quantified by Molecular Absorption Spectrometry in the UV/Vis region and isothermal models will applied to studied the sorption processes involved. The characterization of the adsorbents will be performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). FLX sorption tests will be performed using real samples of FLX-contaminated water. (AU)