Removal of Four Nitrofurans Drugs from Aqueous Solution by Magnetic Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

Highlights▸ M-MWCNT were synthesized by wet chemical method and used as an efficient adsorbent for removing nitrofurans from aqueous solution.▸ FTIR analysis was employed to investigate the functional group of M-MWCNT.▸ The adsorption process was characterized by kinetics and isotherm analysis.▸ Adsorption of nitrofurans on M-MWCNT was an exothermic and spontaneous process.▸ The adsorption rate was controlled by both outer and inner diffusion.Magnetic multi-wall carbon nanotubes (M-MWCNTs) nanocomposite was synthesized and used for removal of four nitrofurans, such as furazolidone (FZD), nitrofurazone (NFZ), nitrofurantoin (NFT), and furaltadone (FTD) from aqueous solution. A detailed study of the adsorption process was performed by varying pH, sorbent amount, sorption time, and temperature. The results showed that the removal of FZD, NFZ, NFT, and FTD reached 97.76%, 93.13%, 96.47%, 94.24%, respectively, when each concentration of four nitrofurans in the mixture was 10 mg L−1, the dosage of M-MWCNTs was 2.4 g L−1, the pH values was 7, and the time of adsorption was 200 min. That pseudo second-order model could accurately represent the kinetics of the adsorption process, and Langmuir model and Temkin model explained much better the isotherm for adsorption process under different temperatures. The thermodynamic parameters (△H0, △S0, △G0) showed the spontaneous, exothermic, and physical nature of the adsorption process.