_Applied_  
_sciences_  
_Article_  
**Conversion of Aryan Nutshells into Novel Porous Carbons in the Scope of Circular Economy: Adsorption Performance of Emerging Contaminants**  
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medical uses, biomedical engineering, and metal recovery, among others [4; 5; 6]. For these applications, porous carbons prepared from several low-cost renewable feedstocks, such as agroforestry wastes/by-products, have been used [4; 7]. Hard-shelled agricultural wastes constituted good precursors for porous carbons due to their high contents of lignin [4; 8]. Agram nutshells, generated after extracting the organ oil from the kernels of the Agram tree (_Argania spinosa_), are available in huge amounts every year, since organ oil is widely used within the international oils market due to its beneficial properties in therapeutic medicine, cosmetic, and the culinary arts [9; 10; 11]. The Agram tree grows extensively across Northwest Africa, particularly in Algeria, especially in the Tindouf region [12]. Thus, the sustainable valorization of biomass wastes resulting from the production of the organ oil into new products in the concept of circular economy has the potential to make a positive socioeconomic impact on this region. Although the nutshell of organ fruit is mostly used by locals for heating, efforts have been made for the conversion of organ nutshells into added-value products, namely adsorbents [13], biocompatible materials [14; 15], and porous carbons [16; 17]. The high lignin content (around 35% \(w/w\)) and the low ashes content (<1% \(w/w\)) of organ nutshells [14] have allowed the production of high-quality carbons with a highly developed porous structure and well-defined pore size distribution, desirable properties for energy storage [16; 18; 19], and adsorption applications [17; 20; 21]. Nevertheless, the use of organ nutshell-derived porous carbons as adsorbents still falls short and has been focused mainly on the adsorption of bisphenol and diuron [17; 21; 22]. Emerging contaminants (ECs), such as pharmaceutical compounds, are being detected worldwide in different water bodies, posing a significant risk to the aquatic environment and raising attention to this increasing problem [23; 24]. In fact, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) cannot completely remove some of these ECs, leading to their discharge in the receiving aquatic compartments [25]. Among the advanced treatments used in WWTPs directed to remove micropollutants, adsorption by activated carbons is considered simple, low-cost, not producing harmful by-products, reusable, efficient, and safe when compared to membrane processes, reverse osmosis, and advanced oxidation processes [24; 26]. Moreover, it can be easily integrated with other treatments [26]. Considering all the above, the present work proposes a strategy to prepare organ nutshell-derived porous carbons via chemical activation using potassium hydroxide (KOH). The valorization of organ nutshells, an undervalued waste, into high added-value adsorbents can significantly impact the rural communities that strongly depend on the organ oil economy. Several experimental parameters of the activation process were tested and evaluated to obtain an optimized porous carbon. The porous carbon was thoroughly characterized and applied as an adsorbent of diclofenac (DCF) and paroxetine (PARX) present in water. These two compounds represent ECs from the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAI) and antidepressant groups, respectively, which are two pharmaceutical classes frequently detected in wastewaters. Moreover, DCF is one of the most used painkillers and NSAI drugs around the world with proven toxicity at low concentrations for aquatic life and human health.