Synthesis and Characterization of a Magnetic Carbon Nanofiber Derived from Bacterial Cellulose for the Removal of Diclofenac from Water

Abstract

Engineering and synthesis of novel materials are vital for removing emerging pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals from contaminated water. In this study, a magnetic carbon nanofiber (MCF) fabricated from bacterial cellulose was tested for the adsorption of diclofenac from water. The physical and chemical properties of the synthesized adsorbent were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The characterization results showed that the MCF is a carbon nanofiber with a three-dimensional interconnect network, forming a porous material (mesopores and macropores) with a specific surface area of 222.3 m2/g. The removal of diclofenac (10 mg/L) by the MCF (0.75 g/L) was efficient (93.2%) and fast (in 20 min). According to the Langmuir isotherm model fitting, the maximum adsorption capacity of the MCF was 43.56 mg/g. Moreover, continuous adsorption of diclofenac onto MCF was investigated in a fixed-bed column, and the maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 67 mg/g. The finding of this research revealed that the MCF could be a promising adsorbent used to remove diclofenac from water, while it can be easily recovered by magnetic separation.

Carbon-Based Nanoadsorbents for the Removal of Emerging Pollutants

“…MCF is a porous (mesopores and macropores) material having a specific surface area of 222.3 m 2 /g. The diclofenac elimination was effective (93.2%) and quick (20 min) [66]. Self-assembling two-dimensional graphene oxide nanosheets and one-dimensional carbon nanotubes were used to readily construct three-dimensional macrostructures.…”

Bacterial Cellulose-Based Polymer Nanocomposites: A Review

“…Nanocellulose-based materials can also be used to treat wastewater contaminated with hazardous organic pollutants, including dyes, pharmaceutical compounds, and petroleum products [ 292 , 316 , 317 , 318 , 319 , 320 ]. For example, Wang et al reported a new superabsorbent aerogel based on BC and graphene oxide, which showed excellent absorption property of organic liquids [ 316 ].…”

“…The development and synthesis of new materials is vital to the removal of new contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, from polluted water. Ieamviteevanich et al developed a magnetic carbon nanofiber derived from BC to remove diclofenac from water [ 320 ]. Diclofenac is one of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs widely used to treat acute and chronic pain in humans and animals.…”

A Unique Crustacean-Based Chitin Platform to Reduce Self-Aggregation of Polysaccharide Nanofibers

“…Nanofibers sourced from natural feedstocks have been drawing attention in the chemistry, physics, materials, and engineering research community for their unprecedented properties from their non-linearized nanoscopic dimensions [1][2][3][4]. For example, they have been found to significantly improve mechanical strengths, endow non-linear optics, and provide very high surface area compared tot their bulk analogues.…”

“…1 Chitin 25 = 25 passes, 2 NPCS = Non-Protein Crustacean Shell 14 passes, 3 CSAM 14 = Crustacean Shell Control 14 passes,4 CSAM 25 = Crustacean Shell Control 25 passes; all reported data within ±0.05 standard deviation in a 95% confidence interval.…”