Removal of enzacamene pollutant from water samples by highly adsorbent of mesoporous silica

Mesoporous compounds are well-known materials that have many applications in catalysis, drug delivery, support and adsorbent. Due to having high surface area, numerous hydroxyl groups and regular pores, they are good candidates as adsorbent. In this study, as a new approach, silica mesoporous of SBA-15 (Santa Barbara Amorphous) has been used as adsorbent for removing enzacamene or 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) from water samples. UV-filters enter the aquatic environment either directly via wash-off from skin during swimming and bathing activities, or indirectly via wastewater from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). 4-MBC is an organic camphor derivative which has the ability to protect the skin against UV-B radiation, and it is one of the most commonly employed UV-filters. However, it has been shown to accumulate in the environment. 4-MBC has also been proved to have endocrine disrupting activity. In this study, SBA-15 was characterized by LA-XRD, N2 sorption and SEM. UV-Vis spectrometry was used in this work to study the rate of elimination of 4-MBC from water samples. Results showed that 10 mg of the adsorbent would have enough potential for removing (˃99%) 1 mg/L of 4-MBC solution during half an hour. In fact, adsorptive capacity of SBA-15 is 5 mg of 4-MBC per 1 gr of adsorbent. Thus, this adsorbent can be considered as a promising material to water purification from the UV-filters viewpoint.