Dataset: Biomass-Derived Activated Carbons as Adsorbents of Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Systems

Pharmaceutical compounds are increasingly recognised as emerging contaminants in aquatic environments owing to their extensive consumption, persistence, bioaccumulative potential, and associated toxicological risks. Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are generally not designed for the efficient removal of pharmaceuticals, highlighting the need for advanced quaternary treatment technologies. Among the available approaches, adsorption onto activated carbons has attracted considerable attention due to its simplicity, high efficiency, and operational versatility. In this study, four bioderived activated carbons (ACs), were evaluated for the adsorption of diclofenac (DCF), valsartan (VAL), and iopromide (IOP). The adsorbents included three biomass-derived activated carbons, namely salt marsh plants Juncus maritimus (JM2-CO2) and Phragmites australis (PA-K2CO3), and coconut shell (CS-ZnCl2), as well as one commercial activated carbon (NORIT). The adsorption behaviour of the three pharmaceuticals onto the different ACs was investigated through batch adsorption experiments. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided the best fit to the kinetic data, while the Langmuir model described the equilibrium isotherms more accurately than the Freundlich model. CS-ZnCl2 was the biomaterial with the best overall adsorption capacities (DCF with 180.9 mg·g-1; VAL with 371.5 mg·g-1; and IOP with 346.4 mg·g-1). Intraparticle diffusion studies indicated that a large surface area results in the best adsorption capacities, with CS-ZnCl2 and PA-K2CO3 achieving higher performance. The three biomass-derived ACs demonstrated higher adsorption capacities in the real wastewater effluent assays, maintaining approximately 85-89% of DCF removal and 95-99% of VAL removal in PA-K2CO3 and CS-ZnCl2.