Cholesterol sorption on carbon sorption materials

Abstract

As an alternative to means for lowering total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the paper considers the possibility of using carbon adsorbents. From a medical point of view, the removal of cholesterol with enterosorbents is extremely effective. By binding cholesterol, sorbents reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The paper searches for new raw material sources and attempts to create enterosorbents with a high capability to adsorb cholesterol. The aim of the work was to develop adsorbents from spent coffee residue with a large proportion of mesopores, to determine the parameters of the porous structure and to study their adsorption capacity against cholesterol. Samples of activated carbon with a large proportion of mesopores (399 and 465 m²/g) were obtained by the traditional method of carbonization-activation of spent coffee grounds and pre-treated hexane to remove fatty acids. The sorption of cholesterol from alcohol solutions has been studied by spectrophotometric method and its effectiveness for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis was proved. It has been shown that a sample of activated carbon from spent coffee residue pre-treated with hexane (maximum value reaches 7.5 mg/g) has the best sorption capacity. The intermediate position is occupied by the sample obtained without pre-treatment with solvent (maximum value reaches 6.3 mg/g). Natural Brand carbon has the weakest sorption characteristics (maximum capacity reaches 5.3 mg/g). It can be stated that the adsorption of cholesterol increases with the growth of the specific surface area of mesopores. The parameters of adsorption processes were calculated using the obtained sorption isotherms. Adsorption isotherms were calculated using the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. It is shown that the values of the maximum adsorption calculated by the Langmuir equation have a good agreement with the experimental data.