Removal of Ciprofloxacin from Water by a Potassium Carbonate-Activated Sycamore Floc-Based Carbonaceous Adsorbent: Adsorption Behavior and Mechanism.

In this study, a porous carbonaceous adsorbent was prepared from sycamore flocs by pyrolysis method and KCO activation. The effects of preparative conditions of the material on its adsorptive property were explored. The optimal material (SFB) was obtained with a KCO/biochar mass ratio of 2:1 at an activation temperature of 900 °C, possessing a huge surface specific area (1651.27 m/g). The largest adsorption capacity for ciprofloxacin on SFB was up to 430.25 mg/g. The adsorption behavior was well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isothermal model. Meanwhile, this process was spontaneous and exothermic. The obtained material showed excellent adsorption performance in the conditions of diverse pH range, ionic strength, and water quality of the solution. The optimum adsorption conditions (pH = 7.01, dosage = 0.6 g/L, and = 52.94 mg/L) determined based on the response surface methodology were in accordance with the practical validation consequences. The good regeneration effect of SFB manifested that this material had great practical application potential. Combining the experimental results and density functional theory calculation results, the adsorption mechanisms mainly included pore filling, π-π EDA interactions, electrostatic interactions, and H-bonds. The material could be regarded as a novel and high-efficiency adsorbent for antibiotics. Additionally, these findings also provide reference for the reuse of waste biomass in water treatment.