Preparation and Removal Properties of Cimetidine from Aqueous Solution by Waste Bricks Incorporated with Different Iron Oxides

In this study, to investigate the elimination of micropollutant from aqueous solutions by construction waste, waste red brick (WRB) with and without incorporated of iron species (goethite and hematite) were prepared by a simple method. The prepared materials were systematically characterized and batch experiments were conducted to study the elimination of typical micropollutant cimetidine from the water environment. Results showed that both two iron species could be successfully incorporated onto WRB and the main structure of WRB were maintained. The adsorption process of cimetidine onto bricks was fast due to the microstructure and useful adsorption sites on the surface of bricks. The Langmuir model fitted the experimental data better and the qmax of cimetidine increased about 24.4% and 39.6% for the incorporation of hematite and goethite, respectively. The pH values influenced the adsorption behavior greatly and the favorable pH value was around 6.0. The charge screening effect and competition adsorption may influence the adsorption behavior together. Due to the interaction between cimetidine and bricks, the outer-sphere complexation may be formed in the adsorption process. This study shows new methods for the elimination of the micropollutant from the water environment and offers useful guidelines for the reuse of construction waste.