Cyclodextrin polymers as efficient adsorbents for removing toxic non-biodegradable pimavanserin from pharmaceutical wastewaters

Presence of even small amount of active pharmaceutical ingredients in the environment carries risks to human and animal health, presenting an important issue. The paper presents issues related to the new drug - pimavanserin (PMV). Biological treatment efficiency of pimavanserin (PMV) was evaluated using lab-scale Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR). It has been shown to have a negative effect on aquatic organisms by classifying it as a toxic compound (EC50 = 8 mgL(-1)). The level of biological degradation of PMV was insufficient (37%) and intensively foam formation caused operational problems. For this reason, in this study polymers based on cyclodextrins (CDs) were synthesized and used as adsorbents alternative to active carbons to effectively separate PMV from real industrial waste streams. Crosslinked beta- and gamma-CD polymers (beta- and gamma-NS), obtained in reaction with 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI), were fully characterized by physicochemical methods. The adsorption equilibrium data were interpreted using Freundlich and Langmuir models. The sorption process was fast (60 s) and the efficiency of PMV separation from model waste waters was 93% and 81% for beta- and gamma-NS, respectively. Maximum polymer capacity was found at 52.08 mg g(-1) for beta-NS and 23.26 mg g(-1) for gamma-NS. The interactions of PMV with CDs have been studied and indicate that major mechanism of the sorption is based on supramolecular interaction and capture to polymer network. Described biodegradable and reusable materials are perfect example of correctly selected adsorbent for separation of target substance from postproduction aqueous media. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.