Lanthanum ferrite nanoparticles modification onto biochar: derivation from four different methods and high performance for phosphate adsorption

Reutilization of post-adsorption lanthanum-loaded straw alleviates phosphorus pollution in rice-wheat system: Subsequent performance and underlying mechanisms

Adsorption technology for phosphorus (P) removal is considered promising and reutilization of post-adsorbent can contribute to promoting sustainable agricultural production. However, the long-lasting impact of the post-adsorbent on crop growth and P remains unclear. This study assessed the effects of P-adsorbed lanthanum-modified straw (La@straw-P) on the rice yield, P fractionation and associated water quality parameters. The findings indicated that, compared with traditional fertilizer regimes, La@straw-P expedited the P reduction in the flooding water achieving a rate of decline to the tertiary standard for surface water (0.20 mg/L) 3.8 times faster and enhanced increased the P harvest index by 17.00 %. Economic estimation proved the positive benefits of La@straw-P in planting-breeding combination system. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and co-occurrence network analysis (CONA) revealed that electrical conductivity (EC) and dissolved Fe played primary roles in regulating total P. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), and soil P fractions collectively demonstrated that the abundant adsorption sites on La@straw-P could facilitate the transformation of active P into moderately Ca-bound P. This study proposes a strategy for recycling P-adsorbed materials to mitigate agricultural non-point P pollution.

Phosphate adsorption characteristics of CeO2-loaded, Eucommia ulmoides leaf residue biochar

In this study, a Ce-loading biochar (Ce-BC) was synthesized by the optimal modification method of pre-pyrolysis impregnation, a pyrolysis temperature at 600 °C, and a CeCl3 concentration of 1.00 mol·L-1 for efficient adsorption phosphorus (P) from wastewater. The results revealed that Ce-BC could achieve a maximum P removal rate of 100% under specific conditions: an adsorbent concentration of 2.00 g·L-1, an initial solution pH of 3.00, an adsorption temperature of 25°C, and an initial P concentration of 20.00 mg·L-1. The adsorption process followed the quasi-secondary kinetic model, suggesting the Ce-BC was particularly effective in acidic environments. Meanwhile, Ce-BC has a strong resistance to anion interference and good cycling performance (the P adsorption capacity of Ce-BC was 59.77% of its initial value after four cycles). Field emission scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that Ce-BC contained a porous structure and rich functional groups (hydroxyl and carboxyl), and compounds of CeO2 and MgCeO3 were formed. The Ce loading favored the exchange with P through ligands, inner-sphere complexation, ion exchange, and electrostatic interaction to form inner-sphere complex-cerium P (CePO4), and surface complex of Ce-O-P replaced O-H. In addition, the Ce-BC adsorption columns had a substantial effect on P removal in actual wastewater. Overall, Ce-BC is a promising material for the treating P-containing acidic wastewater.

Simultaneous removal of phosphate and tetracycline using LaFeO3 functionalised magnetic biochar by obtained ultrasound-assisted sol-gel pyrolysis: Mechanisms and characterisation

Excessive phosphate and tetracycline (TC) contaminants pose a serious risk to human health and the ecological environment. As such exploring the simultaneous adsorption of phosphate and TC is garnering increasing attention. In this study, an efficient lanthanum ferrate magnetic biochar (FLBC) was synthesised from crab shells using an ultrasound-assisted sol-gel method to study its performance and mechanisms for phosphate and TC adsorption in aqueous solutions in mono/bis systems. According to the Langmuir model, the developed exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 65.62 mg/g for phosphate and 234.1 mg/g for TC (pH:7.0 ± 0.1, and 25 °C). Further, it exhibited high resistance to interference and pH suitability. In practical swine wastewater applications, whereby the concentrations of phosphate and TC are 37 and 19.97 mg/L, respectively, the proposed material demonstrated excellent performance. In addition, electrostatic adsorption, chemical precipitation and ligand exchange were noted to be the main mechanisms for phosphate adsorption by FLBC, whereas hydrogen bonding and π-π interaction were the main adsorption mechanisms for TC adsorption. Therefore, this study successfully prepared a novel and efficient adsorbent for phosphate and TC.

Degradation of organic pollutants through activating bisulfite with lanthanum ferrite-loaded biomass carbon

The removal of methylene blue (MB) in water is a challenging task due to its toxicity, carcinogenicity and resistance to biodegradation. Accordingly, a novel composite catalyst (BC@LF) was prepared by loading lanthanum ferrite (LaFeO3) on biomass carbon (BC) to activate bisulfite (BS) for methylene MB removal in this study. Characterization via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that LaFeO3 was successfully loaded on BC. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis suggested that [triple bond, length as m-dash]Fe(iii) was the main active site for BS activation. It was found that 99.4% MB was removed within 60 min in BC@LF/BS system. Sulfate radical (SO4˙-) and hydroxyl radicals (HO˙) were proved to be responsible for MB removal in the BC@LF/BS system and SO5˙- might also be involved in MB removal. The degradation efficiency of MB in the BC@LF/BS system decreased with increasing pH, while the adsorption efficiency of BC@LF for MB improved with increasing pH. Additionally, BC@LF exhibited good reusability for BS activation in successive uses. The BC@LF/BS system exhibited favorable removal effect for various organic compounds, indicating that it has good applicability in the treatment of organic wastewater.

A critical review on the development of lanthanum-engineered biochar for environmental applications

Biochar and lanthanum (La) have been widely used in environment. However, there is a lack of knowledge and perspective on the development of La-engineered biochar (LEB) for environmental applications. This review shows that LEBs with a variety of La species via pre-/post-doping routes are developed for environmental applications. Specifically, precipitation, gelation, and calcination are the common sub-processes involved in the pre-/post-doping of La on the resultant LEB. The dominant La species for LEBs is La(OH)₃, which is formed through precipitation of La ions with various bases. Various La carbonates, e.g., LaOHCO₃, La₂(CO₃)₃, La₂CO₅, and NaLa(CO₃)₂, are also involved in the preparation of LEBs. The LEBs are high-efficient in the adsorption of phosphate, arsenic, antimonate and fluoride ions, attributed to the strong affinity of La to oxyanions and Lewis hard base. Lanthanum is also favorable for co-doping with transition metal species to further enhance the performances in adsorption or catalysis. This review also analyzes the prospects and future challenges for the preparation and application of LEBs in environment. Finally, this review is beneficial to inspire new breakthroughs on the preparation and environmental application of LEBs.

Chromium(VI) Removal from Water by Lanthanum Hybrid Modified Activated Carbon Produced from Coconut Shells

Cr(VI) is considered to be the most hazardous and toxic oxidation state of chromium and hence the development of effective removal technologies, able to provide water with Cr(VI) below the drinking water limits (US EPA 100 μg/L, European Commission 50 μg/L, which will be reduced to 25 by 2036) is a very important issue in water treatment. This study aimed at examining the performance of activated carbon produced from coconut shells, modified by lanthanum chloride, for Cr(VI) removal from waters. The structure of the formed material (COC-AC-La) was characterized by the application of BET, FTIR and SEM techniques. The effect of the adsorbent's dosage, pH value, contact time, initial Cr(VI) concentration and water matrix was examined with respect to Cr(VI) removal. The results indicated that the maximum Cr(VI) removal was observed at pH 5; 4 h contact time and 0.2 g/L of adsorbent's dosage was adequate to reduce Cr(VI) from 100 μg/L to below 25 μg/L. Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic models fitted the experimental data sufficiently. The maximum adsorption capacity achieved was 6.3 μg/g at pH 5. At this pH value, the removal percentage of Cr(VI) reached 95% for an initial Cr(VI) concertation of 30 μg/L. At pH 7 the corresponding efficiency was roughly 60%, resulting in residual Cr(VI) concentrations below the anticipated drinking water limit of 25 μg/L of total chromium, when the initial Cr(VI) concentration was 50 μg/L. Consecutive adsorption and regeneration studies were conducted using 0.01 M of NaOH as an eluent to evaluate the reusability of the adsorbents, Results showed 20% decrease of adsorption capacity after 5 regeneration cycles of operation.

Phosphate adsorption characteristics of La(OH)3-modified, canna-derived biochar

La(OH)₃-modified canna biochar (CBC-La) was prepared by a coprecipitation method (dipping method), and its phosphate adsorption characteristics were investigated. The results show that the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir model can be used to describe the adsorption process with a high level of accuracy. Adsorption equilibrium could be reached at 8 h, at which point the maximum adsorption capacity was shown to be 37.37 mg/g. CBC-La has excellent phosphate adsorption capacity in the middle to low concentrations (≤50 mg/L), and its removal rate can exceed 99 %. CBC-La also has wide pH adaptability (3-9) and a strongly selective adsorption performance. Notably, it can still maintain a removal rate of over 99.8 % in the presence of certain anions (NO₃^-, HCO₃^-, and CO₃^2-), and the presence of NH₄⁺ has a synergistic effect on the adsorption process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements demonstrate that the main mechanisms of CBC-La phosphate adsorption are electrostatic adsorption, ion exchange, ligand exchange and inner sphere complexation.

Modification of Hardwood Derived Biochar to Improve Phosphorus Adsorption

The excessive application of phosphorus in agricultural lands leads to serious environmental issues. Efficient application is beneficial from an economic and environmental perspectives. Biochar can be used as a carrier for slow release of phosphate. However, its adsorption capacity is limited. In this work, biochar was prepared at different pyrolysis temperatures (350–550 °C). The biochar prepared at 550 °C had the highest adsorption capacity and was selected for modification by magnesium impregnation. Magnesium modification enhanced the adsorption capacity by 34% to a theoretical max adsorption capacity of 463.5 mg·g−1. The adsorbed phosphate can be desorbed. The desorption was bi-phasic with fast- and slow-release fractions. The distribution of the phosphate fractions was pH dependent with slow release being most prominent in neutral conditions. Mg modified biochar can be used to recover phosphate and then used as a carrier for slow release of phosphate. The bi-phasic desorption behaviour is useful as the fast release fraction can provide the immediate phosphate needed during plant establishment, while the slow-release fraction maintains steady supply over extended periods.

Adsorption of Hexavalent Chromium by Sodium Alginate Fiber Biochar Loaded with Lanthanum

Lanthanun oxide (La₂O₃) is a lanthanum chemical compound incorporates a sensible anionic complexing ability; however, it lacks stability at a low pH scale. Biochar fibers will give the benefit of their massive space and plethoric uses on the surface to support a metal chemical compound. Herein, wet spinning technology was used to load La³⁺ onto sodium alginate fiber, and to convert La³⁺ into La₂O₃ through carbonization. The La₂O₃-modified biochar (La-BC) fiber was characterized by SEM, XRD and XPS, etc. An adsorption experiment proved that La-BC showed an excellent adsorption capacity for chromates, and its saturation adsorption capacity was about 104.9 mg/g. The information suggested that the adsorption was in step with both the Langmuir and Freundlich models, following pseudo-second-order surface assimilation mechanics, which showed that the Cr (VI) adsorption was characterized by single-phase and polyphase adsorption, mainly chemical adsorption. The thermodynamic parameters proved that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The mechanistic investigation revealed that the mechanism of the adsorption of Cr (VI) by La-BC may include electrostatic interaction, ligand exchange, or complexation. Moreover, the co-existing anions and regeneration experiments proved that the La-BC is recyclable and has good prospects in the field of chrome-containing wastewater removal.

Sustainable wastewater treatment by biochar/layered double hydroxide composites: Progress, challenges, and outlook

Biochar/layered double hydroxide (LDH) composites have gained considerable attention in recent times as low-cost sustainable materials for applications in water treatment. This paper critically evaluates the latest development in applications of biochar/LDH composites in water treatment with an emphasis on adsorption and catalytic degradation of various pollutants. The adsorption of various noxious contaminants, i.e., heavy metals, dyes, anions, and pharmaceuticals onto biochar/LDH composites are described in detail by elaborating the adsorption mechanism and regeneration ability. The synergistic effect of LDH with biochar exhibited significant improvement in specific surface area, surface functional groups, structure heterogeneity, stability, and adsorption characteristics of the resulting biochar/LDH composites. The major hurdles and challenges associated with the synthesis and applications of biochar/LDH composites in water remediation are emphasized. Finally, a roadmap is suggested for future research to assure the effective applications of biochar/LDH composites in water purification.