Sustainable Production of Activated Carbon From Waste Tires for Olaparib Adsorption: Kinetic, Equilibrium, and Thermodynamic Evaluation

OpenAlex İngilizce

This comprehensive study focused on producing activated carbon from waste tires via pyrolysis and chemical activation and subsequently investigating its thorough potential for the removal of the cytotoxic cancer drug olaparib from aqueous solutions. The physicochemical attributes of the synthesized activated carbon, including its surface morphology, pore structure, and chemical properties, were meticulously characterized using SEM, BET, and pHpzc analyses, respectively. The influence of critical operational parameters—such as adsorbent dose, solution pH, initial concentration, and contact time—on the adsorption efficiency was systematically examined. Optimal conditions were successfully established as a 90 mg/50 mL adsorbent dose, a pH of 7, an initial concentration of 50 mg/L, and a contact duration of 120 min. Kinetic analysis indicated that the adsorption followed a pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model, suggesting the involvement of strong surface interactions and specific affinity between olaparib molecules and the activated carbon. The equilibrium data exhibited an excellent fit with the Langmuir isotherm model, leading to a calculated maximum adsorption capacity of 31.36 mg/g. Thermodynamic evaluation confirmed that the process was both spontaneous (Δ G < 0) and feasible, characterized by an endothermic nature (Δ H = 9.95 kJ/mol) and increased randomness (Δ S = 54.47 J/mol K). Reusability studies demonstrated that the activated carbon retains significant adsorption performance over five consecutive cycles, maintaining a regeneration efficiency of 68.9% at the end of the fifth cycle, which highlights its practical application potential and long‐term sustainability. These findings collectively underscore the substantial potential of waste tire–derived activated carbon as a cost‐effective and highly efficient adsorbent for eliminating pharmaceutical contaminants from aquatic environments.