Treatment of simulated berberine wastewater with resin adsorption

The removal of berberine from synthetic pharmaceutical wastewater by polymeric adsorption resins was investigated. The optimal polymeric adsorbent was selected as H103 based on the comparison of berberine removal rates. The effects of pH, the amount of polymeric resin and temperature on the adsorption of berberine were explored. Also, the adsorption isotherms of berberine were tested. The results showed that the optimum pH value was 7.0 when the simulated berberine wastewater concentration was 1000 mg/L. The specific absorption rate was 139.0 mg/g when the polymer resin was least. The more polymeric adsorbents H103 added the better berberine removal rate could be reach.Inthe temperature rangefrom 280.5 K to 298.0 K, the optimum temperature for berberine adsorption was 293 K.Adsorption isotherm of berberine could be described neither by Freundlich equation, nor by Langmuir equation,which indicated the complexity of the absorption process of berberine by polymeric adsorbents H103.