evaluation of acetaminophen removal from aqueous solution using bovine serum albumin nanoparticles and determination of removal efficiency by ion mobility spectrometry

Abstract: pharmaceutical compounds are considered emerging environmental pollutants that have a potentially harmful impact on the environment and human health. due to the enormous production and high consumption worldwide, acetaminophen (act) has become one of the most frequently detected pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment [1]. ion mobility spectroscopy (ims) is a separation method that works at atmospheric pressure. the advantages of ion mobility spectrometer are high sensitivity, low detection limit, simple operation, and low cost [2]. the aim of this study was to investigate the potential of bovine serum albumin (bsa) nanoparticles as sorbent for the removal of act from an aqueous solution. the initial concentration of act and the concentration of act remaining in the aqueous solution were determined by ims. the effect of various parameters such as ph (2-10), initial act concentration (100-400 ppm), and contact time (0.5-5 hours) on act removal has been investigated. furthermore, adsorption kinetics, as well as adsorption isotherms, were studied. the results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of bsa nanoparticles for act adsorption is 360 mg/g. the optimal conditions for act removal using bsa nanoparticles were found to be: contact time 300 min, sorbent dose 0.5 mg, ph=7, and initial concentration act 100 mg/l. under these conditions, the removal efficiency was 90%. the kinetics and isotherm data were compatible with the pseudo-second-order and freundlich models. these results demonstrate that bsa has an excellent potential to adsorb act from an aqueous solution.