Efficient remediation of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solution using MgO/C nanocomposites: isotherm and kinetic studies

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) has been detected frequently in aquatic resources at upsetting attentions, which has created a growing concern. The key focus of this study is to examine ciprofloxacin removal using MgO/C nanocomposite. The synthesized magnesium oxide nanoparticle embedded with carbon substrate was employed as a catalyst for ciprofloxacin removal from the water-based solution. The research encompasses a multifaceted analytical approach, for instance, FTIR, BET, XRD, and SEM with EDAX. FTIR confirms the presence of Mg–O stretching bond in the range of 738 cm‾¹. The SEM analysis confirms the formation of agglomerated spherical particles. EDAX confirms the presence of carbon at 64.45 percent, magnesium at 6.02 percent, and oxygen at 26.68 percent. The BET reveals a high surface area of 548 m²/g and 60% total porosity, with a predominantly mesoporous (2–10 nm) structure. XRD indicates the MgO/C nanocomposite as a cubic rock salt structure at the peak range of 29, 41, and 61, corresponding to the nanoparticles. The CIP removal involves optimal constraints such as pH-6, dosage-1.25 g/L, ciprofloxacin concentration-25 mg/L, time-40 min, and temperature of 30 ℃. The study focuses on the isotherm and kinetics model providing supporting technical data for a better understanding of the adsorption behavior. The best-fit model for MgO/C nanocomposite was found to be Langmuir with an R² value of 0.9705 and pseudo-first-order kinetics. The investigation reports the efficiency of MgO/C nanocomposite in treating CIP through a cost-effective approach while promoting ecological sustainability.