Facile Low Temperature Hydrothermal Synthesis of Magnetic Mesoporous Carbon Nanocomposite for Adsorption Removal of Ciprofloxacin Antibiotics

A new magnetic mesoporous carbon composite (Fe3O4/C) was synthesized and characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, FT-IR, TG, ζ potential, SEM, and TEM. The performance of using Fe3O4/C composite as an adsorbent for removal of antibiotics using ciprofloxacin (CIP) as a model was investigated. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm was applicable to fit the removal process. Kinetics of the CIP removal was found to follow a pseudo-second-order rate equation. The solution pH is critical for the adsorption of CIP on Fe3O4/C, and the maximum adsorption of CIP could be reached under neutral conditions. In addition, the Fe3O4/C adsorbent showed high magnetization and operational stability, and it could be readily separated from solution by applying an external magnetic field. After 10 recycle runs, over 85% of the adsorption capacity was retained. The high performance, low cost, and easily recyclable Fe3O4/C composite may become a promising adsorbent for water treatment.