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.