Textile-based biochar for the removal of ciprofloxacin antibiotics from water

Antibiotics are currently regarded as emerging contaminants of major concern. The presence of ciprofloxacin antibiotic in water is a threat to humans and aquatic life. The removal of ciprofloxacin using biochar synthesised from cotton textile waste was investigated. This work reported the successful implementation of the textile waste-based biochar adsorbents to effectively remove ciprofloxacin antibiotic in a sustainable approach. Several batch tests were performed to determine the optimum conditions for the antibiotic removal from synthetic water solutions. Several process parameters were examined including the initial concentration of the antibiotic, adsorbent dosage, contact time and pH. The results demonstrated the successful adsorption of ciprofloxacin from water solutions with an efficiency of 97.61% after 4-h contact time, at an optimum pH of 9 and at room temperature. The experimental data demonstrated a high agreement demonstrated by the high R2 value obtained from Harkin–Jura model, therefore suggesting a multilayer adsorption process. Further analysis of the experimental data revealed the physisorption nature of the adsorption process.