Sulfasalazine and tetracycline decontamination from aqueous media using nanocomposite adsorbent based on β-cyclodextrin containing magnetic montmorillonite modified by MIL-88A

In this study, β-cyclodextrin/iron-based metal-organic framework (MIL-88A) modified CoFe 2 O 4 -montmorillonite nanocomposite as a stable and efficient adsorbent was effectively synthesized through a simple and cost-efficient approach for sulfasalazine (SSZ) and tetracycline (TC) adsorption from aqueous solution. Adsorbents were characterized through XRD, XPS, TEM, VSM, FTIR, SEM, BET-specific surface area, and EDX-Map analysis. Subsequently, the effects of pH, initial TC and SSZ concentration, contact time, temperature, adsorbent dosage, and counter ions on the adsorption performance were thoroughly examined. The adsorbent behavior correlated more with the Langmuir model, while the pseudo-second-order model best described the kinetics. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacities for SSZ and TC were 150.9 and 153.3 mg/g at 25 °C and pH = 5–6, respectively. Due to its porous structure and significant pore size (9.4749 nm), SSZ and TC can be adsorbed on both adsorbents' internal and external surfaces. Also, thermodynamic studies have shown the spontaneous and exothermic processes for SSZ and TC adsorption. In addition, the β-cyclodextrin/CoFe 2 O 4 -MMT/MIL-88A adsorbent demonstrated high regeneration and reusability through as many as five cycles. Owing to its high adsorption efficiency and adequate magnetic separability, the β-cyclodextrin/CoFe 2 O 4 -MMT/MIL-88A nanocomposite demonstrates promising potential for effectively removing SSZ and TC from aqueous media. • Eco-friendly β-cyclodextrin/CoFe 2 O 4 -MMT/MIL-88A adsorbent removes SSZ and TC. • MIL-88A's porous structure enhances SSZ and TC adsorption efficiency. • SSZ and TC removal efficiencies reached 98.14 and 96.12 %, respectively. • Adsorption followed the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetics. • Adsorption process driven by intra-particle and liquid film diffusion.