Adsorption of Ciprofloxacin by Sugarcane Bagasse Activated Biochar in Aqueous Solution

Antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (CIP) in wastewater pose a significant and pressing concern as an emerging contaminant. Conventional wastewater treatments are not optimized to effectively remove antibiotics, resulting in their persistence in bodies of water and significantly contributing to a global health threat, antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study investigated the potential for removing CIP from aqueous solution through adsorption using phosphoric acid (H3PO4) activated biochar derived from sugarcane bagasse (SBAB). The removal percentage of CIP reached 45.37% at an equilibrium time of 60 minutes with a 0.8 g L-1 SBAB and an initial CIP concentration of 25 mg L-1. The experimental equilibrium capacity, qe is 14.45 mg g-1. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order (PSO) model, which primarily assumes chemisorption, with a qe of 14.68 mg g-1. The Freundlich isotherm best describe the adsorbent-adsorbate relationship, suggesting a a multilayer adsorption process. The SBAB will be used to produce 3D-printed adsorbents, which will be installed in a laboratory-scale packed-bed adsorption column.