Volume: 4, 2025
4th International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: E012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL4.E012
Published online: 9 April 2025
ICDSUPL, 4, E012 (2025)
Adsorption efficiency assessment of platinum-based anticancer drugs metabolites using biochar
Kinga Morlo1*, Joanna Dobrzyńska1, Ryszard Dobrowolski1
1 Department of Analytical Chemistry, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 3, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
* Corresponding author: kinga.morlo@mail.umcs.pl
Abstract
Platinum-based anticancer drugs, including cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, are among the most widely used chemotherapeutic agents. It is estimated that approximately 70% of the administered dose is excreted in the urine of cancer patients. Unfortunately, conventional wastewater treatment facilities have proven ineffective in removing these metabolites, allowing them to enter the ecosystem. Both cytostatics and their metabolites exhibit high toxicity to living cells. Therefore, it is essential to remove these compounds directly from hospital oncology departments. The purpose is to develop effective and inexpensive porous materials such as biochar to reduce the toxic effects of platinum-based anticancer drug metabolites. Biochar was synthesized using honeycomb biomass, which was pyrolyzed under a carbon dioxide atmosphere. Cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin adsorption conditions were optimized on the obtained biochar. The pH effect on the adsorption ability of cytostatics, adsorption kinetics, as well as the determination of adsorption isotherms with respect to the studied compounds were investigated. Platinum determinations were conducted by atomic absorption spectrometry. Porosity analysis of the obtained biochar showed that activation with carbon dioxide leads to significant specific surface area development and creation mainly of mesopores. Additionally, the elemental composition analysis revealed that the material contains not only significant amounts of carbon and oxygen but also heteroatoms of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as potassium compounds. It is worth emphasizing that carbon dioxide-activated biochar achieves very high removal levels (>95%) for all three cytostatics over the entire studied pH range. Regarding the adsorption kinetics study, for carboplatin and oxaliplatin, the adsorption equilibrium state is reached after only 5 min, whereas for cisplatin, the adsorption process is at least two-step. The adsorption capacities for the obtained biochar with regards to the studied compounds are very high, reaching 150, 220, and 250 mg/g for cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, respectively. Carbon dioxide-activated biochar is characterized by the high removal ability of cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin, and their metabolites without adjusting the pH of the initial system. Therefore, synthesized biochar is a promising adsorbent for removing metabolites of platinum-based anticancer drugs from hospital and urban wastewater.
Keywords: adsorption, biochar, cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin
How to cite
K. Morlo, J. Dobrzyńska, R. Dobrowolski, 2025. Adsorption efficiency assessment of platinum-based anticancer drugs metabolites using biochar. In: 4th International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL4.E012