This paper aims at presenting the possibilities of applying gas chromatography for the determination of pharmaceutical residues in different matrices. Section one of the study underscores the environmental advantages of employing GC for such analyses. Section two presents the innovative methods for determining pharmaceuticals in the environment. The last section discusses the results of the analysis of the GC and GC-MS market in Poland.

According to the literature data, the described methods were applied for the analysis of real samples: wastewaters, surface waters, soil samples. The samples were collected from the Pomerania region and the Gulf of Gdańsk. The pharmaceuticals were determined in various environmental samples. The highest concentrations were found in raw wastewater, medium – in a treated wastewater, and the lowest – in surface water. The most frequently detected pharmaceuticals were: ibuprofen, paracetamol, diclofenac and naproxen, all belonging to NSAIDs.

Furthermore, the results of the study of the Polish GC market indicate that a very limited number of entities are currently using chromatographic techniques, and pharmaceutical residues tests are exceptions, mainly due to the lack of the legal requirements in this field and the lack of own laboratories.

Carbon paste electrode (CPE) was modified with F-300 commercial activated carbon or Norit SX- 2 powdered activated carbon. CPEs were prepared for detection of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 2,6-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,6-D) and 2,4,6-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,6-T). The electrochemical behavior of these materials was investigated employing cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The modifier was found to enhance the electroactive surface area and the peak current in comparison to the bare (unmodified) carbon paste electrode. The intensity of the signal increased with the increase in adsorption ability of the modifiers. Compared to the unmodified electrode, all the new paste electrodes showed a much greater sensitivity for detection of chlorinated phenoxyacetic acids in water samples.

The aim of the study was to assess the possibility of using natural carbonaceous materials such aspeat, lignite, and hard coal as low-cost sorbents for the removal of Direct Orange 26 azo dye from an aqueous solution. The adsorption kinetics and the influence of experimental conditions were investigated. The following materials were used in the research: azo dye Direct Orange 26, Spill-Sorb “Fison” peat (Alberta, Canada), lignite (Bełchatów, Poland), and hard coal (“Zofiówka” mine, Poland). The morphology and porous structure of the absorbents were tested. Dye sorption was carried out under static conditions, with different doses of sorbents, pH of the solution, and ionic strength. It was observed that the adsorption of Direct Orange 26 dye on all three adsorbents was strongly dependent on the pH of the solution, while the ionic strength of the solution did not affect the adsorption efficiency. The adsorption kinetics were consistent with the pseudo-second-order reaction model. The stage which determines the rate of adsorption is the diffusion of the dye in the near-surface layer. The process of equilibrium adsorption of Direct Orange 26 dye on all tested adsorbents is best described by the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity for peat, brown coal and hard coal was 17.7, 15.1 and 13.8 mg/g, respectively. The results indicate that peat, lignite, and hard coal can be considered as alternative adsorbents for removing azo dyes from aqueous solutions.

Three activated chars obtained from end-of-life tyre pyrolysis differing in activation time (AC110 – 110 min, AC130 – 130 min, and AC150 – 150 min) were successfully used as adsorbents for the removal of model dye – Rhodamine B (RhB) from aqueous solutions. The effects of solution pH, adsorption kinetics, and equilibrium adsorption were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption was strongly pH-dependent; the highest percentage of RhB dye adsorbed was obtained at pH 2.0 and the removal efficiency decreased with an increase in solution pH. Adsorption kinetics was analyzed using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Weber-Morris, and Boyd kinetic models. It was found that the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation was the most appropriate for describing the adsorption kinetics and that the RhB adsorption process was controlled by a film diffusion mechanism. Adsorption equilibrium data were fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Elovich isotherm models. The equilibrium data were best represented by the Langmuir model with the monolayer adsorption capacities of 69.96, 94.34, and 133.3 μmol/g for AC110, AC130, and AC150, respectively. It was concluded that the adsorption of RhB was closely correlated with the specific surface area (and activation time) of the activated chars.

This paper aims to show the effect of activation method of tyre pyrolysis char (TPC) on adsorption of bisphenol A (BPA) from aqueous solutions. The TPC was produced from end-of-life-tyres (ELT) feedstock in a pilot plant at 773 K. Activation was accomplished using two classical methods: physical activation withCO2 and chemical activation withKOH. The two produced adsorbents had pores ranging from micro- to macropores. Distinct differences in the BET surface areas and pore volumes between the adsorbents were displayed showing better performance of the chemically activated adsorbent for adsorption of BPA from water.

The results of the kinetic studies showed that the adsorption of BPA followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The Freundlich, Langmuir, Langmuir–Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson isotherm equations were used for description of the adsorption data. The Langmuir–Freundlich isotherm model best fits the experimental data for the BPA adsorption on both adsorbents. The Langmuir–Freundlich monolayer adsorption capacity, qmLF, obtained for the CO2-activated tyre pyrolysis char (AP-CO2) and KOH-activated tyre pyrolysis char (AP-KOH) were 0.473 and 0.969 mmol g��1, respectively.