Removal of organic and inorganic pollutants from aqueous solutions using starch-diatomaceous earth adsorbent

Abstract

Organic and inorganic pollutants, accumulated in the environment, could pose a potential danger to living organisms. Some of these pollutants negatively affect the physiological activities of living organisms, and in certain concentrations, they can be lethal to biotic communities. In addition to the natural sources of emission of these substances in the environment, a large number of anthropogenic activities contribute to a sudden increase in their concentration. The development of new and improving existing ecologically sustainable techniques to prevent or reduce their outflow and retention in the environment is more necessary than ever. Therefore, the focus of this work will be examining the efficiency of environmentally friendly adsorbent based on modified starch and diatomaceous earth for the removal of selected organic and inorganic pollutants from aqueous solutions. The influence of the chemical modification of starch, followed by the addition of diatomaceous earth, on its structural, morphological, and adsorption properties, will be examined. The possibility of using starch-diatomaceous earth adsorbent for the removal of brilliant green dye, pharmaceutical compounds, and lead ions from aqueous solutions will be evaluated through the adsorption efficiency under the given conditions.