Adsorptive and Oxidative Removal of Naproxen and Diclofenac using Ag NPs, Cu NPs and Ag/Cu NPs

Abstract

Considering the removal potential of anti-inflammatory drugs, it was observed that diclofenac and naproxen were more difficult to separate from sample matrix with respect to other anti-inflammatory drugs. As a result of the measurements of these drugs in the river, groundwater and treatment plant effluent streams, it was determined that 37% of the total chemical was retained on colloidal non-precipitating particles, and the remaining part was in dissolved form. In this study, the catalytic activity and adsorption performance of inexpensive, simple, environmentally friendly and innovative adsorbents such as Ag NPs, Cu NPs and Ag/Cu NPs synthesized at the first time by a green synthesis method using weed plant Helichrysum arenarium extract were investigated in the removal of naproxen and diclofenac drugs from aqueous solution. The structure of the obtained nanoparticles was characterized by UV–Vis, FT-IR, XRD, SEM–EDX, TEM and BET analyzes. It was determined that Cu NPs showed both the highest catalytic activity and the highest adsorption property among the synthesized other nanoparticles. The synergistic effect was investigated in detail by combining adsorption and catalytic wet peroxidation processes to perform with faster and higher efficiency of drug removal. Based on experimental results, Cu NPs degraded 84%, 91% and 75% of naproxen, diclofenac and naproxen + diclofenac drugs, respectively, and showed strong selectivity against diclofenac after 50 min. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.