Effect of surface area and physical–chemical properties of graphite and graphene-based materials on their adsorption capacity towards metronidazole and trimethoprim antibiotics in aqueous solution

[Display omitted] •Metronidazole (MNZ) and trimethoprim (TMP) were adsorbed on nanocarbon materials.•Four nanocarbon materials were commercial high surface area graphite.•Three nanocarbons were synthesized from graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO.•Except for GO, the nanomaterials adsorption capacity increased with surface area.•Adsorption of MNZ and TMP was predominantly due to π-π dispersive interactions. The adsorption of metronidazole (MNZ) and trimethoprim (TMP) antibiotics from water on nanomaterials synthesized from graphene oxide and graphite, was examined thoroughly. The effect of the physicochemical properties and surface area onto the adsorption capacity of the nanomaterials was studied in detail. The nanocarbon materials used were graphene oxide (GO), and GO reduced in inert medium (rGO) or ammonia (N-rGO), and four high surface area graphites (HSAG100, HSAG300, HSAG400, HSAG500). The nanomaterials characterization was performed by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, N2 physisorption, TG-profiles and X-ray diffraction. The increasing order of the nanomaterial adsorption capacity toward MNZ was: HSAG100