Adsorption of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solutions using cellulose-based adsorbents prepared by sol-gel method

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is one of the most widely used antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. Consequently, there is concern that it may contaminate water resources due to its high usage level. It is therefore necessary to monitor, trace, and reduce exposure to these antibiotic residues. In the current study, the extraction of CIP from water was performed using a green adsorbent material based on cellulose/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) decorated with mixed metal oxides (MMO). This cellulose/MMO/PVA adsorbent was synthesized using a simple sol-gel method. The prepared adsorbent materials were then characterized using a range of methods, including scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, gas adsorption analysis, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier Transform infrared. The impact of pH, adsorbent dose, contact time, and CIP concentration on ciprofloxacin extraction were examined. The equilibrium and kinetic adsorption data were well described using the Freundlich model (R² = 0.965). The optimum conditions for CIP adsorption were: pH = 4.5; adsorbent dosage = 0.55 g·L^-1; contact time = 83 min; and initial CIP concentration = 2 mg·L^-1. The adsorption capacity of the cellulose/MMO/PVA adsorbent for CIP removal was ∼19 mg·g^-1 (CIP removal = 86.48 %). This study shows that cellulose/MMO/PVA adsorbents have potential for removing contaminants from aqueous environments.