Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Water Using Laccase Immobilized on Orange Peels Waste-Derived Activated Carbon

Al-sareji, Osamah J.; Abdulzahra, Mohammed Alaa; Hussein, Thaer Shafi; Shlakaa, Ahmed S.; Karhib, Mustafa M.; Meiczinger, Mónika; Grmasha, Ruqayah Ali; Al-Juboori, Raed A.; Somogyi, Viola; Domokos, Endre; Idowu, Ibijoke; Andredaki, Manolia; Hashim, Khalid S.

doi:10.3390/w15193437

Open AccessArticle

Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Water Using Laccase Immobilized on Orange Peels Waste-Derived Activated Carbon

by

Osamah J. Al-sareji

^1,2,*

,

Mohammed Alaa Abdulzahra

³

,

Thaer Shafi Hussein

³,

Ahmed S. Shlakaa

⁴,

Mustafa M. Karhib

⁵,

Mónika Meiczinger

¹

,

Ruqayah Ali Grmasha

^1,2,6

,

Raed A. Al-Juboori

^7,8,*

,

Viola Somogyi

¹

,

Endre Domokos

¹

,

Ibijoke Idowu

⁹,

Manolia Andredaki

⁹ and

Khalid S. Hashim

^9,10

¹

Sustainability Solutions Research Lab, Faculty of Engineering, University of Pannonia, Egyetem Str. 10, H-8200 Veszprém, Hungary

²

Environmental Research and Studies Center, University of Babylon, Babylon, Al-Hillah 51001, Iraq

³

DNA Research Center, University of Babylon, Babylon, Al-Hillah 51001, Iraq

⁴

Medical Physics Department, Hilla University College, Babylon, Al-Hillah 51001, Iraq

⁵

Department of Medical Laboratory Techniques, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Babylon, Al-Hillah 51001, Iraq

⁶

Research Group of Limnology, Center for Natural Science, Faculty of Engineering, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, H-8200 Veszprém, Hungary

⁷

Water and Environmental Engineering Research Group, Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15200, FI-00076 Espoo, Finland

⁸

NYUAD Water Research Center, New York University, Abu Dhabi Campus, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 129188, United Arab Emirates

⁹

School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 2ET, UK

¹⁰

Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Babylon, Babylon, Al-Hillah 51001, Iraq

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Water 2023, 15(19), 3437; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193437

Submission received: 20 August 2023 / Revised: 11 September 2023 / Accepted: 28 September 2023 / Published: 29 September 2023

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Evolution of Sorbents Based on Natural Materials for Wastewater Pollution Control)

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Abstract

The ongoing discharge of containments into the environment has raised concerns about the potential harm they pose to various organisms. In the framework of eliminating pharmaceutical chemicals from aqueous solutions, enzymatic degradation by laccase is an environmentally friendly option. In this investigation, laccase immobilized on biochar derived from agricultural waste (orange peels, OPs) was used for the first time to remove carbamazepine and diclofenac from aqueous media. Different characterizations, such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), specific surface area (S_BET), Boehm titration, proximate and ultimate analysis, as well as the point of zero-charge (pH_PZC) analysis, were used in this study. The immobilization of laccase results in enhanced stability with respect to storage, temperature, and pH compared to laccase in its free form. The findings showed that the ideal conditions for immobilization were a pH of 4, a temperature of 30 °C, and a laccase concentration of 4.5 mg/mL. These parameters led to an immobilization yield of 63.40%. The stability of laccase immobilized on biochar derived from orange peels (LMOPs) was assessed over a period of 60 days, during which they preserved 60.2% and 47.3% of their initial activities when stored at temperatures of 25 °C and 4 °C, respectively. In contrast, free laccase exhibited lower stability, with only 33.6% and 15.4% of their initial activities maintained under the same storage conditions. Finally, the use of immobilized laccase proved to be effective in eliminating these pollutants in up to five cycles. Upon comparing the two systems, namely LMOPs and modified orange peels (MOPs), it becomes apparent that LMOPs exhibit an estimated 20% improvement in removal efficiency. These results affirmed the viability of activated carbon derived from OPs as a cost-effective option for immobilizing laccase. This approach could potentially be further scaled up to effectively eliminate organic pollutants from water sources.

Keywords: carbamazepine; diclofenac; laccase; adsorption; enzyme activity; adsorption cycles

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MDPI and ACS Style

Al-sareji, O.J.; Abdulzahra, M.A.; Hussein, T.S.; Shlakaa, A.S.; Karhib, M.M.; Meiczinger, M.; Grmasha, R.A.; Al-Juboori, R.A.; Somogyi, V.; Domokos, E.; et al. Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Water Using Laccase Immobilized on Orange Peels Waste-Derived Activated Carbon. Water 2023, 15, 3437. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193437

AMA Style

Al-sareji OJ, Abdulzahra MA, Hussein TS, Shlakaa AS, Karhib MM, Meiczinger M, Grmasha RA, Al-Juboori RA, Somogyi V, Domokos E, et al. Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Water Using Laccase Immobilized on Orange Peels Waste-Derived Activated Carbon. Water. 2023; 15(19):3437. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193437

Chicago/Turabian Style

Al-sareji, Osamah J., Mohammed Alaa Abdulzahra, Thaer Shafi Hussein, Ahmed S. Shlakaa, Mustafa M. Karhib, Mónika Meiczinger, Ruqayah Ali Grmasha, Raed A. Al-Juboori, Viola Somogyi, Endre Domokos, and et al. 2023. "Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Water Using Laccase Immobilized on Orange Peels Waste-Derived Activated Carbon" Water 15, no. 19: 3437. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193437

APA Style

Al-sareji, O. J., Abdulzahra, M. A., Hussein, T. S., Shlakaa, A. S., Karhib, M. M., Meiczinger, M., Grmasha, R. A., Al-Juboori, R. A., Somogyi, V., Domokos, E., Idowu, I., Andredaki, M., & Hashim, K. S. (2023). Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Water Using Laccase Immobilized on Orange Peels Waste-Derived Activated Carbon. Water, 15(19), 3437. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193437

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Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Water Using Laccase Immobilized on Orange Peels Waste-Derived Activated Carbon

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