Effectiveness of fullerene/magnesium oxide nanocomposite in removing ciprofloxacin and tetracycline from aqueous solutions†

The excessive use of antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin (CIP) and tetracycline (TC), poses negative impacts on both human health and ecosystems. In this work, fullerene/magnesium oxide (F/MgO) nanocomposite was prepared and studied as adsorbent for CIP and TC removal. Adding metal oxide to F led to a change in its characteristics which was confirmed by XRD, FTIR, SEM, and TEM. A maximal removal for 50 mg L⁻¹ CIP was 84.6% at 60 min, pH 7, and 0.2 g L⁻¹ of adsorbent dose. 43.6% of 50 mg L⁻¹ of TC adsorbed at 60 min, pH 5, and 1 g L⁻¹ of adsorbent dose. Adsorption thermodynamics elucidated that the adsorption on F/MgO nanocomposite were spontaneous and exothermic, and non-spontaneous and endothermic for CIP and TC, respectively. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model fitted well the adsorption data of CIP and TC. Various coexisting ions had different impacts on the adsorption efficiency of CIP and TC. The competitive adsorption between CIP and TC on the surface of F/MgO nanocomposite was studied. The F/MgO nanocomposite was efficiently reused 5 cycles for CIP and TC removal and remained effective. This work explores a novel adsorbent for the elimination of CIP and TC from aqueous solutions.