Enhanced adsorption of fluoroquinolone antibiotics on Cu-modified porous boron nitride nanofibers in aqueous solution

The microecology and human health threats caused by the abuse of antibiotics are increasingly serious, for which it is urgent to develop highly efficient adsorbents. In the current study, Cu modified porous boron nitride nanofibers (BNNF-Cu) with uniform distributions and stable structures were successfully synthesized. The surface area of BNNF-Cu can reach to 737.194 m(2 )g (-1), which includes porous microstructure and rich surface groups. The removal performance of BNNF-Cu as an adsorbent for ofloxacin (OFL) in aqueous solution was systemically studied. Due to the addition of modifier copper, the adsorption capacities for fluoroquinolones pollutants including OFL, norfloxacin (NOR) and enrofloxacin (ENR) were greatly enhanced. The adsorption kinetic data and equilibrium adsorption isotherms are in line with the pseudo-second-order and the Freundlich models ( R-2 = 0.999), respectively, indicating that the adsorption of OFL onto BNNF-Cu was mainly multilayer chemisorption. Significantly, the adsorbent exhibits excellent removal percentage for OFL (99.74%) and the maximum adsorption capacity can reach to 305.32 mg g (-1 )at the pollutant concentration of 100 mg L -1. In addition, the influences of pH, temperatures and salinity on adsorption were also further researched. The outstanding removal efficiency can be maintained after several cycles, which proves excellent reusability. Finally, the BNNF-Cu adsorbent can offer a wide range of possibilities to eliminate antibiotics efficiently in industrial wastewater.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.