Synthesis of Ag/NiFe2O4 doped multiwalled carbon nanotube for antibiotic removal from water

Antibiotics impose severe impacts on humans and the ambient water environment by creating antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens; therefore, there exists an urgent need to develop sustainable and efficient adsorbents for the removal of these contaminants from the water. To this goal, silver/nickel ferrite-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (Ag/NiFe2O4 doped MWCNTs) were prepared as functional integrated adsorbent material for antibiotic removal from water. The TEM results showed that Ag/NiFe2O4 species were dispersed on the surface of MWCNTs through the available functional groups on their surface. The introduction of Ag/NiFe2O4 nanocomposite onto the MWCNTs efficiently improved the adsorption capacity for ciprofloxacin. The maximum adsorption capacity is estimated to be 26.45 mg/g. The results indicated a higher adsorptive capacity for the produced ternary sample compared to pristine MWCNTs, Ag/NiFe2O4, or NiFe2O4/MWCNTs binary systems. The adsorption capacity for ciprofloxacin in the samples was evidently dependent on the MWCNTs dose, solution pH, adsorbate dose, and temperature. Ag/NiFe2O4 doped MWCNTs (65 % w/w) were able to remove similar to 95 % of ciprofloxacin in the testing solution even after being reclaimed for 4 times following the Langmuir isotherm model in the endothermic manner. Also, the adsorption of CIP by the nanocomposite demonstrates a pseudo-second-order model. These promising results open a pathway for efficient carbon materials to be replaced by conventional adsorbents to remove antibiotics from water.