Removal of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin by using a polyvinyl alcohol/agar/maltodextrin composite membrane: Optimization by response surface methodology

Polyvinyl alcohol/agar/maltodextrin composite membranes at different ratios are investigated for the removal of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin from water. The factors affecting the adsorption capacity of the as-synthesized membranes include time, pH, temperature, concentration, and dosage of film. The PAM244 and PAM433 membranes are subjected to optimization using response surface methodology model employing the Box–Behnken experimental design model. The optimal model has shown compatibility between the experimental value and the predicted value of the model. The correlation coefficients of PAM244 and PAM433 are recorded as R 2 = 0.999 and R 2 = 0.991, respectively. The model also proposes the optimal parameters. For PAM244, the adsorption capacity predicted from the model is 11.52 mg g –1 (42% of efficiency) at pH 5.89, a concentration of 41.28 mg L –1 , over a time period of 19.87 min, and dosage of film 2.08 g L –1 . For PAM433, the adsorption capacity predicted from the model is 10.46 mg g –1 (40% of efficiency) at pH 6.07, a concentration of 41.24 mg L –1 , over a time period of 19.59 min, and dosage of film 2.16 g L –1 . To enhance the potential of the material, the membrane reusability is also examined with the number of reuses being three times with the PAM244 membrane and twice with the PAM433 membrane.