Waste cigarette butt derived Carbon/Magnesium oxide nanocomposite as potential adsorbent for the removal of ciprofloxacin from waste water

[Display omitted] •The waste cigarette butts were valorized into activated carbon and prepared C@MgO nanocomposite.•The C@MgO nanocomposite is used as an adsorbent to remove pharmaceutical contaminant CIP.•The C@MgO nanocomposite exhibits a high CIP adsorption capacity (556 mg/g). The waste cigarette butts (CB) are intractable pollutant and poses severe threat to environmental health. In a quest to convert hazardous waste into valorization product, we prepared carbon from CB and synthesized carbon supported Magnesium oxide nanoparticle (C@MgO) using a microwave-assisted method. The prepared C@MgO possess high surface area (128 m2g−1) and strong adsorption property for CIP with high adsorption capacity of 556 mg/g. The adsorption experiment follows pseudo second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm. This work provide new insight into valorization of hazardous waste cigarette butts into useful product for environmental remediation.