Magnetized cellulosic material from Cannabis biomass as a green adsorbent: Effective removal of paracetamol from wastewater

The widespread use of pharmaceuticals and the disposal of unused portions into the environment expose the aquatic ecosystem to large volumes of waste. In this study, a green adsorbent, magnetic-sulfated cellulose-supported biocomposite (MSCB), was produced from cannabis biomass, a carbohydrate-based source. The prepared MSCB was characterized in detail using various techniques (ATR-FTIR, FE-SEM, STEM, EDX, XRD, BET, VSM, TGA, and pHpzc) and used as an adsorbent to remove paracetamol (PCM) from wastewater. The adsorption studies examined factors such as adsorbent amount (12.5–100 mg), pH (2–10), initial concentration (20–100 mg/L), contact time (1–420 min.), temperature (25–45 °C), matrix environment influence, and reusability. Characterization results confirmed that the synthesized MSCB was successfully sulfated, exhibited a porous structure, possessed a high magnetization value, and demonstrated thermal stability. XRD analysis also verified that the material was cellulose-supported. The best adsorption conditions were found to be a 25 mg adsorbent amount, pH of 4, an initial concentration of 80 ppm, and a contact time of 300 min. Moreover, the results revealed that the adsorption of PCM onto MSCB aligned more closely with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum theoretical adsorption capacity was calculated to be 126.6 mg/g at 25 °C. Furthermore, it was noted that even in a dense matrix medium, MSCB maintained its removal efficiency, and after five applications, its reusability remained fairly strong. It was concluded that the green MSCB could be a highly effective adsorbent for removing PCM from wastewater. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.)