Enhanced adsorption of sulfonamides by a novel carboxymethyl cellulose and chitosan-based composite with sulfonated graphene oxide

A novel multiple active sites sponge was fabricated from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and genipin crosslinked carboxyalkyl-chitosan (GCC) combined with sulfonated graphene oxide (CMC/SGO–GCC) and used as a material for adsorbing sulfonamide antibiotics. The GO contains a variety of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, which can interact with the hydroxyl groups of chitosan and CMC to form strong hydrogen bonds. This adsorption process is spontaneous and pH dependent, and shows high sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and sulfapyridine (SPD). Removal efficiency from aqueous solutions. Equilibrium adsorption studies showed that the maximum adsorption capacities of SMX and SPD decreased from 312.28 to 272.83 mg/g and 161.89 to 146.56 mg/g, respectively, as the temperature increased from 298 to 318 K. Reusability experiments indicated that CMC/SGO–GCC maintained a high adsorption capacity for SMX and SPD upon its reuse. This study shows that CMC/SGO-GCC is an ideal material for adsorbing SMX and SPD.