Efficient toxic doxorubicin hydrochloride removal from aqueous solutions using facial alumina nanorods

A simple synthesis method was used for successfully preparing mesoporous alumina nanorods. The new mesoporous alumina nanorods were illustrated by several instrumentations such as XRD, SEM, and HRTEM. In addition, the surface area of the presented alumina was exhibited as 154.54 m2/g. The prepared alumina nanorods were found to have a wonderful ability for adsorbing the anti-cancer medication doxorubicin hydrochloride namely DOX. The mechanism of adsorption behavior of DOX was evaluated based on the variation of temperature, pH, and concentration of the DOX. Experimental data clarified that the adsorption capacity of alumina nanorods for DOX was higher at pH 6.0. The adsorption equilibrium also demonstrated that the Langmuir adsorption was regulated the best fit to the extracted data compared with the other models. The activation energy of adsorption was also measured for the adsorption of DOX onto alumina nanorods, which suggests the chemisorption movement. The adsorption kinetics was shown in the well-known kinetic model of the pseudo-second-order. The adsorption measurement was documented according to endothermic and spontaneous thermodynamic modules. The adsorption of DOX onto alumina nanorods from real water samples (tap water, effluent wastewater, and influence wastewater) were investigated. The results indicated that alumina nanorods were a good candidate for adsorbing the DOX and treating wastewater.