Removal of Three Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics by NaClO2-modified Biosorbent from Fruit Fiber of C. Procera

ABSTRACTHere, Calotropis gigantea fiber (CGF) was first treated using NaClO2 to chemically modify the fiber surface to improve its hydrophilicity. Subsequently, the resulting NaClO2-CGF was used as the biosorbent to remove three fluoroquinolone antibiotics including enrofloxacin (Enr), ciprofloxacin (Cip), and norfloxacin (Nor). The results demonstrate that NaClO2-CGF shows optimum adsorption properties at pH = 6, with the maximum adsorption capacity of 50–70 mg/g. Further, NaClO2-CGF can achieve its adsorption equilibrium within 30 min, an indication of its fast adsorption kinetics. After five adsorption-desorption cycles, a higher adsorption percentage is still observed, suggesting its good regeneration for use in successive cycles.