Removal of Lamotrigine From Wastewater Using Activated Carbon Derived From Ziziphus Jujube Leaves

Pharmaceutical pollutants such as lamotrigine pose significant environmental risks due to their persistence in wastewater and resistance to conventional treatment methods. In this study, we investigated the sustainable removal of lamotrigine using activated carbon (AC) derived from locally sourced biomass (Ziziphus Jujube). Green leaves of Ziziphus Jujube were collected from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, washed with deionized water, ovendried at 100° C for 24 h, ground, and sieved through a 100-mesh screen. The biomass was chemically activated with NaHCO₃ at a 1: 4(w/w) ratio, then pyrolyzed at 1073 K for 3 h under nitrogen. The resulting product was washed with 0.1 mol/L HCl and DI water and dried at 343 K for 24 h to yield the final adsorbent, labelled as (ZJ) AC, with a pyrolysis yield of approximately 18%. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated the high efficiency of developed AC for lamotrigine removal, highlighting its potential as a sustainable, low-cost adsorbent for advanced water treatment applications.