Effective Removal of Sulfonamides Using Recyclable MXene-Decorated Bismuth Ferrite Nanocomposites Prepared via Hydrothermal Method.

Developing a simple and efficient method for removing organic micropollutants from aqueous systems is crucial. The present study describes the preparation and application, for the first time, of novel MXene-decorated bismuth ferrite nanocomposites (BiFeO 3 /MXene) for the removal of six sulfonamides including sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfathiazole (STZ), sulfamerazine (SMZ), sulfamethazine (SMTZ), sulfamethoxazole (SMXZ) and sulfisoxazole (SXZ). The properties of BiFeO 3 /MXene are enhanced by the presence of BiFeO 3 nanoparticles, which provide a large surface area to facilitate the removal of sulfonamides. More importantly, BiFeO 3 /MXene composites demonstrated remarkable sulfonamide adsorption capabilities compared to pristine MXene, which is due to the synergistic effect between BiFeO 3 and MXene. The kinetics and isotherm models of sulfonamide adsorption on BiFeO 3 /MXene are consistent with a pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir model. BiFeO 3 /MXene had appreciable reusability after five adsorption-desorption cycles. Furthermore, BiFeO 3 /MXene is stable and retains its original properties upon desorption. The present work provides an effective method for eliminating sulfonamides from water by exploiting the excellent texture properties of BiFeO 3 /MXene.