Improvement of the regenerability and surface electronegativity of rectorite via magnetic modification

In this study, the magnetic modification of rectorite was conducted to enhance its regenerability and surface electronegativity. When using the raw rectorite, the removal rate of ciprofloxacin was 78 % and the recovery rate was only 26 % after six regeneration cycles. However, with magnetized modified rectorite (M-REC), the removal rate of ciprofloxacin was 97 % and the recovery rate exceeded 75 %. The magnetic properties, easy magnetic separation and enhanced surface electronegativity of M-REC were confirmed through SEM, TEM, VSM, XRD, BET and XPS characterization. After six regeneration recycles, the basic skeleton structure of M-REC remained largely unchanged, indicating that has excellent stability. Additionally, the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of M-REC were investigated, and the Langmuir model accurately described the adsorption isotherm. The adsorption kinetics data fit the pseudo-second order models. The adsorption rate was determined by the number of available adsorption sites on the M-REC surface, and the removal process was primarily driven by chemisorption. Therefore, M-REC is an environmentally friendly adsorption material with potential applications in environmental remediation.