Lead and cadmium removal from wastewater using eco-friendly biochar adsorbent derived from rice husk, wheat straw, and corncob
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad1, Universiti Teknologi Petronas2, Brno University of Technology3, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology4, King Khalid University5, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore6, Government College University, Faisalabad7, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University8, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences9, University of the Punjab10
01 Dec 2020-Vol. 1, pp 100006
TL;DR: In this article, the biochar derived from the rice husk, wheat straw, and corncob has been used for the adsorptive removal of heavy metals, including the lead (Pb+2) and cadmium (Cd+2).
Abstract: Cleaner and sustainable water production lead to the development of environmentally friendly adsorbent materials for energy-efficient, cost-effective, and cleaner water production. In this study, the biochar derived from the rice husk, wheat straw, and corncob has been used for the adsorptive removal of heavy metals, including the lead (Pb+2) and cadmium (Cd+2). The synthesised biochar was characterised by a different structural and analytical approach. The characterisation of biochar revealed the existence of the combined redox, i.e. reductive and oxidative surface functional groups along with some inert functional groups which play a significant role in donating or accepting an electron to degrade the pollutants in the wastewater. The biochar synthesised in this study was found to be amorphous, and some negligible disorders and defects have been observed in the structure of biochar. The biochar has been highly stable under harsh thermal conditions by sustaining significant weight over a temperature of 700 °C and also be hygroscopic. The biochar rice husk, wheat straw, and corncob demonstrated the lead (Pb+2) adsorption capacity of 96.41%, 95.38%, and 96.92%, while for cadmium (Cd+2), the uptake capacity was found to be 94.73%, 93.68%, and 95.78%. The reported biochar is a cleaner, environmentally friendly, economical, and sustainable alternative to conventional adsorbent materials.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an overview of the application of biochar as an eco-friendly and economical adsorbent to remove toxic colorants (dyes) from the aqueous environment.
Abstract: Dyes (colorants) are used in many industrial applications, and effluents of several industries contain toxic dyes. Dyes exhibit toxicity to humans, aquatic organisms, and the environment. Therefore, dyes containing wastewater must be properly treated before discharging to the surrounding water bodies. Among several water treatment technologies, adsorption is the most preferred technique to sequester dyes from water bodies. Many studies have reported the removal of dyes from wastewater using biochar produced from different biomass, e.g., algae and plant biomass, forest, and domestic residues, animal waste, sewage sludge, etc. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the application of biochar as an eco-friendly and economical adsorbent to remove toxic colorants (dyes) from the aqueous environment. This review highlights the routes of biochar production, such as hydrothermal carbonization, pyrolysis, and hydrothermal liquefaction. Biochar as an adsorbent possesses numerous advantages, such as being eco-friendly, low-cost, and easy to use; various precursors are available in abundance to be converted into biochar, it also has recyclability potential and higher adsorption capacity than other conventional adsorbents. From the literature review, it is clear that biochar is a vital candidate for removal of dyes from wastewater with adsorption capacity of above 80%.
101 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the application of hydrated lime for the effective adsorption of the heavy mercury metal from the aqueous phase solutions was reported, which led to a significant impact on modern in inventing different adsorbents with promising water treatment efficiency for more industrial applications and the related recovery of mercury.
28 citations
01 Sep 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential use of different AWBs for the removal of cadmium in terms of their adsorption efficiencies, variable influencing factors, and pre-treatment methods is discussed.
Abstract: The removal/recovery of cadmium from wastewaters by conventional technologies is proving expensive due to the non-renewability of the materials used and the high costs of both operation and materials. Biosorption using agricultural wastes is emerging as a method that offers economical alternate biological materials to save the purpose. Functional groups like carboxyl, hydroxyl, sulphydryl, and amido present in these Agricultural waste-based biosorbents (AWB) make it possible for them to attach Cd2+ from waters. This review article discusses the potential use of different AWBs for the removal of cadmium in terms of their adsorption efficiencies, variable influencing factors, and pre-treatment methods. The literature studies consulted signpost that AWBs have equal and even greater adsorption capabilities in some cases compared to conventional adsorbents. Initial concentration, pH, ionic strength, co-ions, biosorbent dosage, temperature, and particle size of AWBs significantly determine the biosorption potential for Cd2+ removal. Furthermore, physical and chemical pre-treatments of AWBs bring remarkable improvement in Cd2+ uptake capacity, but some chemical additives have been found to have negative impacts on aquatic life. Nevertheless, there are some gaps observed, which require further study, such as (i) searching for pre-treatment chemicals with maximum adsorption potential enhancement with minimal impact on aquatic lives, (ii) developing the most cost-effective modification methods, and (iii) assessing AWBs under real wastewater systems. The study moreover recommends that the extensive use of AWBs should not jeopardize food security.
26 citations
TL;DR: In this article , a promising Fe/BC was prepared by impregnating iron on biochar surface to remove methylene blue from aqueous solution via heterogeneous catalytic ozonation process (HCOP).
25 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors reviewed the research findings on the low-cost removal of lead ions using different types of adsorbents and the limitations of the research achievements to date.
Abstract: Abstract The presence of lead compounds in the environment is an issue. In particular, supply water consumption has been reported to be a significant source of human exposure to lead compounds, which can pose an elevated risk to humans. Due to its toxicity, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) have classified lead (Pb) and its compounds as probable human carcinogens. The European Community Directive and World Health Organization have set the maximum acceptable lead limits in tap water as 10 µg/L. The USEPA has a guideline value of 15 µg/L in drinking water. Removal of lead ions from water and wastewater is of great importance from regulatory and health perspectives. To date, several hundred publications have been reported on the removal of lead ions from an aqueous solution. This study reviewed the research findings on the low-cost removal of lead ions using different types of adsorbents. The research achievements to date and the limitations were investigated. Different types of adsorbents were compared with respect to adsorption capacity, removal performances, sorbent dose, optimum pH, temperature, initial concentration, and contact time. The best adsorbents and the scopes of improvements were identified. The adsorption capacity of natural materials, industrial byproducts, agricultural waste, forest waste, and biotechnology-based adsorbents were in the ranges of 0.8–333.3 mg/g, 2.5–524.0 mg/g, 0.7–2079 mg/g, 0.4–769.2 mg/g, and 7.6–526.0 mg/g, respectively. The removal efficiency for these adsorbents was in the range of 13.6–100%. Future research to improve these adsorbents might assist in developing low-cost adsorbents for mass-scale applications.
25 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: The use of Raman spectroscopy to reveal the remarkable structure and the unusual electronic and phonon properties of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is reviewed comprehensively in this article.
3,835 citations
TL;DR: A molecular-level assessment of the physical organization and chemical complexity of biomass-derived chars and, specifically, that of aromatic carbon in char structures suggests the existence of four distinct categories of char consisting of a unique mixture of chemical phases and physical states.
Abstract: Char black carbon (BC), the solid residue of incomplete combustion, is continuously being added to soils and sediments due to natural vegetation fires, anthropogenic pollution, and new strategies for carbon sequestration (“biochar”). Here we present a molecular-level assessment of the physical organization and chemical complexity of biomass-derived chars and, specifically, that of aromatic carbon in char structures. Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET)−N2 surface area (SA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), synchrotron-based near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy are used to show how two plant materials (wood and grass) undergo analogous but quantitatively different physical−chemical transitions as charring temperature increases from 100 to 700 °C. These changes suggest the existence of four distinct categories of char consisting of a unique mixture of chemical phases and physical states: (i) in transition chars, the crystalline character of the precursor ma...
2,283 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic study of the ratio between the integrated intensities of the disorder-induced D and G Raman bands (ID∕IG) in nanographite samples with different crystallite sizes (La) and using different excitation laser energies is presented.
Abstract: This work presents a systematic study of the ratio between the integrated intensities of the disorder-induced D and G Raman bands (ID∕IG) in nanographite samples with different crystallite sizes (La) and using different excitation laser energies. The crystallite size La of the nanographite samples was obtained both by x-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation and directly from scanning tunneling microscopy images. A general equation for the determination of La using any laser energy in the visible range is obtained. Moreover, it is shown that ID∕IG is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the laser energy used in the experiment.
2,161 citations
TL;DR: Biochars, produced by pyrolysis of pine needles at different temperatures, were characterized by elemental analysis, BET-N2 surface areas and FTIR, and Sorption isotherms of naphthalene, nitrobenzene, and m-dinitrobenZene from water to the biochars were compared.
Abstract: The combined adsorption and partition effects of biochars with varying fractions of noncarbonized organic matter have not been clearly defined. Biochars, produced by pyrolysis of pine needles at different temperatures (100-700 degrees C, referred as P100-P700), were characterized by elemental analysis, BET-N2 surface areas and FTIR. Sorption isotherms of naphthalene, nitrobenzene, and m-dinitrobenzene from water to the biochars were compared. Sorption parameters (N and logKf) are linearly related to sorbent aromaticities, which increase with the pyrolytic temperature. Sorption mechanisms of biochars are evolved from partitioning-dominant at low pyrolytic temperatures to adsorption-dominant at higher pyrolytic temperatures. The quantitative contributions of adsorption and partition are determined by the relative carbonized and noncarbonized fractions and their surface and bulk properties. The partition of P100-P300 biochars originates from an amorphous aliphatic fraction, which is enhanced with a reduction of the substrate polarity; for P400-P600, the partition occurs with a condensed aromatic core that diminishes with a further reduction of the polarity. Simultaneously, the adsorption component exhibits a transition from a polarity-selective (P200-P400) to a porosity-selective (P500-P600) process, and displays no selectivity with P700 and AC in which the adsorptive saturation capacities are comparable to predicted values based on the monolayer surface coverage of molecule.
1,449 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the preparation, characterization, modification, and especially environmental application of biochar, based on more than 200 papers published in recent 10 year, to provide an overview of Biochar with a particular on its environmental application.
1,017 citations