Enhanced Zn(II) adsorption by chemically modified sawdust based biosorbents

Heavy metals present in industrial effluents, when discharged into water channels, not only affect humans but also negatively impact plants and aquatic organisms. Sawdust is available readily in developing countries and can be used by small-scale industries for effluent water treatment containing low concentrations of bivalent zinc ions. This study explores the potential of sawdust-derived biosorbents, after boiling (SDB), chemical modification with formaldehyde (SDF), and sulfuric acid (SDS), for sequestration of Zn(II) from simulated wastewater as well as industrial effluents. The morphological analysis of the three biosorbents indicated a suitable porous structure with a pore size of 232.928 m2/g (SDB), 291.102 m2/g (SDF), and 498.873 m2/g (SDS). The functional analysis of native and metal-laden biosorbents indicated the role of - OH, - C = O, and - NH functional groups in Zn(II) binding. The process parameters were optimized and the spontaneous adsorption of Zn(II) was found to proceed by multilayer formation by following pseudo-second-order kinetics. SDS adsorbent (0.1 g) exhibited a greater potential for removal of Zn(II) from industrial effluents as compared to SDB and SDF at pH = 6.0 with the equilibrium adsorption capacity of 45.87 mg/g. Therefore, SDS could be a promising adsorbent for the treatment of wastewater in small-scale industries.

Using Pomegranate Peel and Date Pit Activated Carbon for the Removal of Cadmium and Lead Ions from Aqueous Solution

Some agricultural byproducts are useful for solving wastewater pollution problems. These byproducts are of low cost and are effective and ecofriendly. The study aim was to investigate the possibility of using pomegranate peel (PP) and date pit (DP) activated carbon (PPAC and DPAC, respectively) as sorbents to remove Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. Agricultural wastes of DPs and PPs were subjected to carbonization and chemical activation with H3PO4 (60%) and ZnCl2 and used as adsorbents to remove Cd(II) and Pb(II) from their aqueous solutions. The physical characterizations of PPAC and DPAC, including determination of surface area, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, were performed. The following factors affected adsorption: solution pH, adsorbent dosage, initial metal ion concentration, and contact time. These factors were studied to identify the optimal adsorption conditions. The results showed that the maximum adsorptions of Cd(II) and Pb(II) were achieved at pH ranging from 6 to 6.5, 90 min contact time, and 0.5 g/L for PPAC and 1 g/L for DPAC dosage. Furthermore, the adsorption efficiencies for both Pb(II) and Cd(II) were higher for PPAC than for DPAC. However, the recorded Qmax values for PPAC were 68.6 and 53.8 mg/g for Pb(II) and Cd(II) and for DPAC were 34.18 and 32.90 mg/g for Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively. The Langmuir isotherm model fit the adsorption data better than the Freundlich model. Kinetically, the adsorption reaction followed a pseudo-second-order reaction model, with qe ranging from 12.0 to 22.37 mg/g and an R2 value of 0.99.

Adsorptive batch and biological treatments of produced water: Recent progresses, challenges, and potentials

Produced water is responsible for the largest contribution in terms of waste stream volume associated with the production of oil and gas. Characterization of produced water is very crucial for the determination of its main components and constituents for optimal selection of the treatment method. This review aims to review and critically discuss various treatment options that can be considered cost-efficient and environmentally friendly for the removal of different pollutants from produced water. Great efforts and progresses were made in various treatment options, including batch adsorption processes, membrane filtration, advanced oxidation, biological systems, adsorption, coagulation, and combined processes. Chemical precipitation, membrane filtration, and adsorption have high removal efficiencies that can reach more than 90% for different produced water components. The most effective method among these methods is adsorption using different adsorbents media. In this review, date-pits activated carbons, microemulsions-modified date pits, and cellulose nanocrystals as low-cost adsorbents were thoroughly reviewed and discussed. Moreover, the potential of using biological treatments in the removal of various pollutants from produced water such as conventional activated sludge, sequential batch reactor, and fixed-film biological aerated filter reactors were systematically discussed. Generally, produced water can be utilized in various fields including habitat and wildlife, agricultural and irrigation sector, energy sector, fire control, industrial use also power regeneration. The degree of treatment will depend on the application that produced water is being reused in. For instance, to use produced water in oil and gas industries, water will require minimal treatment while for agricultural and drinking purposes high treatment level will be required. It can also be concluded that one specific technique cannot be recommended that will meet all requirements including environmental, reuse, and recycling for sustainable energy. This is because of various dominant factors including the type of field, platform type, chemical composition, geological location, and chemical composition of the production chemicals.

Stability Improvement of Humic Acid as Sorbent through Magnetite and Chitin Modification

Stability improvement of humic acid (HA) through modification of HA by chitin (HA-chitin) followed by a coating of HA-chitin on magnetite has been successfully performed. The coated magnetite (magnetite/HA-chitin) was conducted by the co-precipitation method, and the synthesized magnetite/HA-chitin was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM-EDX, and VSM. The successful coated-magnetite by HA-chitin was proved by the appearance of a new band at 1627 cm-1 (FT-IR), the formation of a crystalline phase with characteristic 2θ of magnetite: 30.259° [220]; 35.64° [311]; 42.590° [400]; 57.280° [511]; and 62.896° [440] (XRD), an increasing of carbon content in magnetite/HA-chitin (SEM-EDX), and the ease of magnetite/HA-chitin being attracted to external magnetic fields with magnetic saturation strength 29.3 emu/g (VSM). Stability tests at pH 2.0 - 10.0 prove that magnetite/HA-chitin remains stable as a solid sorbent on average above 80%. Its application to Hg (II) sorption occurred optimum at pH 7.0, where 75.89% Hg (II) is sorbed on 0.1 g of sorbent and agreed well to the pseudo-second-order kinetics model of Ho.

Utilizations of agricultural waste as adsorbent for the removal of contaminants: A review

In recent years, various industrial activities have caused serious pollution to the environment. Due to the low operating costs and high flexibility, adsorption is considered as one of the most effective technologies for pollutant management. Agricultural waste has loose and porous structures, and contains functional groups such as the carboxyl group and hydroxyl group, so it can be invoked as biological adsorption material. Agricultural waste gets the advantages of a wide range of sources, low cost, and renewable. It has a good prospect for the comprehensive utilization of resources when used for environmental pollution control. This article summarized the current research status of agricultural waste in adsorbing pollutants, which pointed out the influencing factors of adsorption, expounded the adsorption mechanism of biological adsorption and introduced the related parameters of adsorption, proposed the application of adsorbents in engineering including adsorption in liquid and gas phases, at the same time it gave the future development prospect of agricultural waste as adsorbent.

Removal of nitrobenzene from aqueous solution by adsorption onto carbonized sugarcane bagasse

A sorbent was prepared by charring sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and used to remove nitrobenzene from aqueous solution. The surface area, morphology, and functional groups of the adsorbent were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy. Analysis indicated that oxygen-containing functional groups, such as C = O, –OH, –COOH, and C–O–C, may be involved in the adsorption process. The adsorption of nitrobenzene was investigated under different operating conditions, including adsorbent dosage, initial nitrobenzene concentration, pH, and contact duration. Four kinetic models were applied to describe the adsorption process. Results revealed that the optimal sorbent mass was 0.3 g/50 mL at pH 5.8 and 25°C. The kinetic data obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model ( R2 > 0.9965). In addition, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were employed to describe the adsorption equilibrium. The Freundlich model presented better fitting for the adsorption equilibrium, suggesting that the carbonized SCB surface had a heterogeneous nature. The maximum adsorption capacities calculated by the Langmuir model were 38.27, 41.72, and 44.70 mg/g at 25°C, 35°C, and 45°C, respectively. The calculated values of ΔG0 and ΔH0 indicated the spontaneous and exothermic nature of the adsorption process at the considered temperature range. The adsorption mechanism of nitrobenzene onto carbonized SCB cannot be described either as physical adsorption or chemisorption. This study demonstrated that SCB biochar is a potential sorbent for removing nitrobenzene from aqueous solutions.