Adsorptive removal of Ciprofloxacin from aqueous solution using a reusable titanium dioxide and graphene oxide nanocomposite optimized by RSM and ANN

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Ciprofloxacin (CIP), a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, poses significant environmental risks when discharged in excess into aquatic systems. In this investigation, the removal of CIP from aqueous solutions via adsorption using a titanium dioxide/graphene oxide nanocomposite (TiO₂/GO-NC) was carried out. The nanocomposite was synthesized through a sol-gel route by depositing TiO₂ onto GO nanosheets. The resulting adsorbent material was subjected to characterize by different techniques, confirming the successful integration of TiO₂ with GO. Textural properties of TiO2/GO-NC sample had surface area, a pore volume and a mean pore width of 194.5 m² g− 1, 0.16 cm³ g− 1, and 18.23 nm, respectively. To maximize CIP adsorption potential of prepared adsorbent, experiments were designed to optimize four selected key process variables, namely, pH of the working solution, dosage of the adsorbent, initial concentration of CIP, and temperature using response surface methodology (RSM). An artificial neural network (ANN) model was subsequently developed to validate the RSM optimized condition. The equilibrium data were evaluated using two, four, and five parameter isotherm models. The kinetic analysis indicated that the adsorption process was controlled by chemisorption mechanism. Thermodynamic studies stated that adsorptive removal of CIP was proceeded in spontaneous and exothermic. In addition, regeneration studies demonstrated that prepared TiO2/GO-NC could be effectively recovered using 1 N NaOH and retained stable performance over 6 consecutive adsorption and desorption cycles. Studies confirmed that the prepared adsorbent is robust and reusable for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment. Not applicable.