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Bioremediation of pollutants from pharmaceutical residual waters | 29282
Organic Chemistry: Current Research

Organic Chemistry: Current Research
Open Access

ISSN: 2161-0401

+44 1478 350008

Bioremediation of pollutants from pharmaceutical residual waters with marine algae and derivatives


2nd International Conference on Past and Present Research Systems of Green Chemistry

September 14-16, 2015 Orlando, USA

Abel E Navarro1, Bertha P Llanos2, Liz Diaz-Vasquez3 and Loretta Roberson3

1Borough of Manhattan Community College, USA 2Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru 3University of Puerto Rico, USA

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Organic Chem Curr Res

Abstract :

The growth of pharmaceutical industries and the constant development of more potent and selective drugs has created a major concern about the proper disposal of these substances. Antibiotics, analgesic and other drugstore products have been listed as top priority pollutants by the US-EPA and other international agencies. On the other hand, biodegradable adsorbents are being developed for the treatment of contaminated waters due to their low cost and efficiency in the removal of organic and inorganic pollutants. This research proposes the use of different types of Puerto Rican marine algae and hydrogel beads of alginate and chitosan for the bioremoval of antibiotics: Enrofloxacin, Amoxicillin, Penicillin G and other drugs such as caffeine. Batch experiments were conducted to determine the experimental conditions at which the adsorption of these compounds are is maximized. Parameters such as pH, salinity, adsorbent dose, initial drug concentration, and the presence of interfering substances were studied at room temperature. Results indicate that raw brown algae Sargassum sp. is the best adsorbent under the working conditions and can be easily applied to real waste-waters. Conversely, caffeine only showed a decent adsorption with hydrogel beads, reporting a preference for chitosan hydrogel beads. Finally, adsorbents were characterized by chemical and instrumental techniques to explore the adsorption mechanism. These results provide further insight into the application of marine algae and derivatives as potential adsorbents for pharmaceutical products, as an inexpensive and eco-friendly alternative.

Biography :

Abel E Navarro received his PhD degree in Biomolecular Chemistry at New York University. Now, as a Junior Faculty Member at BMCC, he is developing new bioremediation alternatives for the elimination of pollutants from wastewaters as biodegradable and recyclable materials that can compete with currently available techniques. He has a publication record of more than 50 articles in specialized and peer-reviewed journals and is Member of several Editorial Boards. He would like to thank BMCC and PNICP (project ECIP-1-P-042-14) for the financial support. This project was also sponsored by UPRRP Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainability and the HSI-STEM grant from the US Department of Education.

Email: anavarro@bmcc.cuny.edu

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