Amine-functionalized magnetic bamboo-based activated carbon adsorptive removal of ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin: A batch and fixed-bed column study

Amine-functionalized magnetic bamboo-based activated carbon (AFM-BAC) derived from bamboo products wastes were employed for effective adsorption of fluoroquinolone antibiotics ciprofloxacin (CIP) and norfloxacin (NOR) through batch processing. The effects of factors on the adsorption of both antibiotics were studied. The studies of various factors influencing the adsorption behavior indicated that the maximum adsorption capacities for two antibiotics adsorption were observed in weakly acidic condition and the adsorption amounts of two antibiotics increased with the increase of zwitterionic form, implying the importance of zwitterionic form, and the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The result of date indicated that adsorption of both two antibiotics onto the AFM-BAC better fits Langmuir isotherm model. The saturated magnetization of AFM-BAC reached 8.55 emu g−1. A fixed-bed column adsorption with a bench-scale was carried out. Desorption and regeneration experiments showed that the AFM-BAC for both antibiotics could remain above 80% after five consecutive recycling cycles.