Adsorption of Selected Pharmaceutical Compounds onto Activated Carbon in Dilute Aqueous Solutions Exemplified by Acetaminophen, Diclofenac, and Sulfamethoxazole

Table 5

The adsorption density of each target compound under single, binary, and tertiary systems.

Solute system	Adsorbate(s)	Adsorption density (mmol/L)
		Acetaminophen	Diclofenac	Sulfamethoxazole	Total
Single	Acetaminophen	2.99	—	—	2.99
	Diclofenac	—	1.28	—	1.28
	Sulfamethoxazole	—	—	1.76	1.76
Binary	Acetaminophen + diclofenac	0.59	0.96	—	1.55
	Diclofenac + sulfamethoxazole	—	0.94	0.52	1.46
	Sulfamethoxazole + acetaminophen	0.60	—	1.20	1.80
Tertiary	Acetaminophen + diclofenac + sulfamethoxazole	0.32	0.83	0.47	1.62