The adsorbent muscovite mineral clay was used to remove the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CPx) from the aqueous media. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), cation exchange capacity (CEC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersion spectrometer (EDX), and surface charge were some of the methods used to characterize the clay (pHpzc). The Box-Behnken design (BBD), a potent tool in this process, was used to find the stationary points of the three primary independent parameters, adsorbent mass, time, and pH. The model’s significance and sufficiency were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). According to the statistics, these settings resulted in a pH of 3.4, an adsorbent mass of 0.09942 g, and an optimum dye removal rate of 90.16%. To assess the kinetic research, three models were used: pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), and intraparticle diffusion. The PFO and PSO kinetic models agree with the stated kinetics. As a result, the isotherms Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin presented an excellent fit to the data from the adsorption equilibrium. The three main elements of a thermodynamic analysis (ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS°) provided additional proof that the adsorption of CPx onto Musc-MC was a spontaneous endothermic reaction.
