WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development
Print ISSN: 1790-5079, E-ISSN: 2224-3496
Volume 22, 2026
Application of Experimental Methodology Design to Optimize Adsorption Parameters for Sulfametaxazole and Trimethoprim Removal using Natural Clay
Authors: , ,
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Abstract: Conventional water treatment plants are often not equipped to effectively eliminate micropollutants such as antibiotics. Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) are widely used in human and veterinary treatment. This study aims to remove these two antibiotics from aqueous solution using natural clay as an adsorbent. A Box-Behnken matrix was used to model and optimize the process. the textural, structural, and morphological properties of raw and purified natural clay were studied. Four independent variables were selected: the initial concentration, pH, contact time, and temperature. Under the experimental conditions, the system reached equilibrium in 80 min. The maximum adsorption of SMX and TMP was approximately 98%. The maximum adsorption capacity was estimated to be 250 mg.g-1 and 190 mg.g-1 at pH 6. According to the Box-Behnken model, high correlation coefficient values and p values greater than 0.05 corresponded to a good fit to the optimal combination of process parameters.
Keywords:
Adsorption, Optimization, Sulfamethoxazole, Trimethoprim, Natural clay, green adsorbents, Box-Behnken design, Response surface methodology, sustainable development
Pages: 429-448
DOI: 10.37394/232015.2026.22.35