(3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and iron rice straw biochar composites for the sorption of Cr (VI) and Zn (II) using the extract of heavy metals contaminated soil

Bacteria-loaded biochar for the immobilization of cadmium in an alkaline-polluted soil

The combination of biochar and bacteria is a promising strategy for the remediation of Cd-polluted soils. However, the synergistic mechanisms of biochar and bacteria for Cd immobilization remain unclear. In this study, the experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of the combination of biochar and Pseudomonas sp. AN-B15, on Cd immobilization, soil enzyme activity, and soil microbiome. The results showed that biochar could directly reduce the motility of Cd through adsorption and formation of CdCO3 precipitates, thereby protecting bacteria from Cd toxicity in the solution. In addition, bacterial growth further induces the formation of CdCO3 and CdS and enhances Cd adsorption by bacterial cells, resulting in a higher Cd removal rate. Thus, bacterial inoculation significantly enhances Cd removal in the presence of biochar in the solution. Moreover, soil incubation experiments showed that bacteria-loaded biochar significantly reduced soil exchangeable Cd in comparison with other treatments by impacting soil microbiome. In particular, bacteria-loaded biochar increased the relative abundance of Bacillus, Lysobacter, and Pontibacter, causing an increase in pH, urease, and arylsulfatase, thereby passivating soil exchangeable Cd and improving soil environmental quality in the natural alkaline Cd-contaminated soil. Overall, this study provides a systematic understanding of the synergistic mechanisms of biochar and bacteria for Cd immobilization in soil and new insights into the selection of functional strain for the efficient remediation of the contaminated environments by bacterial biochar composite.

Nanomaterials in biochar: Review of their effectiveness in remediating heavy metal-contaminated soils

Biochar can be used for soil remediation in environmentally beneficial manner, especially when combined with nanomaterials. After a decade of research, still, no comprehensive review was conducted on the effectiveness of biochar-based nanocomposites in controlling heavy metal immobilization at soil interfaces. In this paper, the recent progress in immobilizing heavy metals using biochar-based nanocomposite materials were reviewed and compared their efficacy against that of biochar alone. In details, an overview of results on the immobilization of Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr, and As was presented by different nanocomposites made by various biochars derived from kenaf bar, green tea, residual bark, cornstalk, wheat straw, sawdust, palm fiber, and bagasse. Biochar nanocomposite was found to be most effective when combined with metallic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ and FeS) and carbonaceous nanomaterials (graphene oxide and chitosan). This study also devoted special consideration to different remediation mechanisms by which the nanomaterials affect the effectiveness of the immobilization process. The effects of nanocomposites on soil characteristics related to pollution migration, phytotoxicity, and soil microbial composition were assessed. A future perspective on nanocomposites' use in contaminated soils was presented.

Development of Rice Straw-derived Biochar-Bentonite Composite and its Application for in situ Sequestration of Ammonium and Phosphate Ions in the Degraded Mine Soil

Nutrient pollution has a diverse impact on the environment and human health. The presence of nutrients, such as ammonium and phosphate, is ubiquitous in the environment due to their extensive use in agricultural land and leaching through non-point sources. In this context, biochar-based composites could play an essential role in improving the soil's nutrient retention capacity. The present study aims to develop bentonite-biochar composites (BNT@BC 400 and 600) and utilize them as an ameliorating material in the coal mine degraded soil to reduce the leaching of ammonium and phosphate ions. The bentonite-biochar composite (BNT@BC 400 and 600) was synthesized using the pristine rice straw-derived biochar using the solvothermal method. The biochar was produced at two different pyrolytic temperatures, 400 °C and 600 °C, and denoted as BC 400 and 600, respectively. Hence, the bentonite-biochar composite was denoted as BNT@BC 400 and 600. The BNT@BC 400 and 600 were characterized using the elemental, proximate, SEM, XRD, and FTIR analysis. Subsequently, the BNT@BC composites were evaluated for the adsorptive removal of NH₄⁺ and PO₄^3- ions using batch adsorption and column leaching studies. In the soil columns, the BNT@BC 400 and 600 were mixed with the soil at two different application rates, viz. 1 and 2.5% (w/w). The leaching characteristics data were fitted using three different fixed-bed models to predict the maximum adsorption capacity of the amended soil columns and the dominant mechanism of adsorption. Results indicated that the BNT@BC 600 showed the maximum adsorption capacity of 33.77 and 64.23 mg g^-1 for the adsorption of NH₄⁺ and PO₄^3- ions, respectively. The dominant adsorption mechanisms in the aqueous solution were the electrostatic attraction, complexation, ion exchange, and precipitation processes. In the soil columns, the sorption of NH₄⁺ and PO₄^3- ions was governed by diffusive mass transfer and electrostatic interaction. Findings of the study indicated that incorporating the BNT@BC composite in the soil can significantly reduce the leaching of the NH₄⁺ and PO₄^3- ions and increase the overall soil fertility.

Efficient removal of phytochrome using rice straw-derived biochar: Adsorption performance, mechanisms, and practical applications

Rice straw derived biochar was fabricated and applied as a purification agent. The adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics for adsorbates were determined using the biochar. Adsorption kinetics and isotherms were best fitted by the pseudo-second order and Langmuir models. Biochar could effectively remove chlorophyll in 9 different solutions. Biochar was employed as a clean-up reagent for 149 pesticides detection, which revealed that biochar had a higher phytochrome removal capacity than graphitized carbon black and 123 pesticides had satisfactory recovery values. The biochar was prepared into a sample pad by electrospinning and was then used for online sample clean-up in a test strip, and it showed high ability of removing phytochrome and improving detection sensitivity. Thus, biochar could be applied as a purification agent to remove pigmentation, making it a promising candidate not only for sample pretreatment but also in the fields of food, agriculture and environment.

Production of biochar from rice straw and its application for wastewater remediation - An overview

The valorization of biochar as a green and low-cost adsorbent provides a sustainable alternative to commercial wastewater treatment technologies that are usually chemical intensive and expensive. This review presents an in-depth analysis focusing on the rice straw-derived biochar (RSB) for removal of various types of contaminants in wastewater remediation. Pyrolysis is to date the most established technology to produce biochar. Subsequently, biochar is upgraded via physical, chemical or hybrid activation/modification techniques to enhance its adsorption capacity and robustness. Thus far, acid-modified RSB is able to remove metal ions and organic compounds, while magnetic biochar and electrochemical deposition have emerged as potential biochar modification techniques. Besides, temperature and pH are the two main parameters that affect the efficiency of contaminants removal by RSB. Lastly, the limitations of RSB in wastewater remediation are elucidated based on the current advancements of the field, and future research directions are proposed.

Removal of hexavalent chromium via biochar-based adsorbents: State-of-the-art, challenges, and future perspectives

Chromium originates from geogenic and extensive anthropogenic activities and significantly impacts natural ecosystems and human health. Various methods have been applied to remove hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aquatic environmental matrices, including adsorption via different adsorbents, which is considered to be the most common and low-cost approach. Biochar materials have been recognized as renewable carbon sorbents, pyrolyzed from various biomass at different temperatures under limited/no oxygen conditions for heavy metals remediation. This review summarizes the sources, chemical speciation & toxicity of Cr(VI) ions, and raw and modified biochar applications for Cr(VI) remediation from various contaminated matrices. Mechanistic understanding of Cr(VI) adsorption using different biochar-based materials through batch and saturated column adsorption experiments is documented. Electrostatic interaction and ion exchange dominate the Cr(VI) adsorption onto the biochar materials in acidic pH media. Cr(VI) ions tend to break down as HCrO₄^-, CrO₄^2-, and Cr₂O₇^2- ions in aqueous solutions. At low pH (∼1-4), the availability of HCrO₄^- ions attributes the electrostatic forces of attraction due to the available functional groups such as -NH₄⁺, -COOH, and -OH₂⁺, which encourages higher adsorption of Cr(VI). Equilibrium isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic models help to understand Cr(VI)-biochar interactions and their adsorption mechanism. The adsorption studies of Cr(VI) are summarized through the fixed-bed saturated column experiments and Cr-contaminated real groundwater analysis using biochar-based sorbents for practical applicability. This review highlights the significant challenges in biochar-based material applications as green, renewable, and cost-effective adsorbents for the remediation of Cr(VI). Further recommendations and future scope for the implications of advanced novel biochar materials for Cr(VI) removal and other heavy metals are elegantly discussed.

A review of pristine and modified biochar immobilizing typical heavy metals in soil: Applications and challenges

In recent years, the application of biochar in the remediation of heavy metals (HMs) contaminated soil has received tremendous attention globally. We reviewed the latest research on the immobilization of soil HMs by biochar almost in the last 5 years (until 2021). The methods, effects and mechanisms of biochar and modified biochar on the immobilization of typical HMs in soil have been systematically summarized. In general, the HMs contaminating the soil can be categorized into two groups, the oxy-anionic HMs (As and Cr) and the cationic HMs (Pb, Cd, etc.). Reduction and precipitation of oxy-anionic HMs by biochar/modified biochar are the dominant mechanism for reducing HMs toxicity. Pristine biochar can effectively immobilize cationic HMs. The commonly applied modification method is to add substances that can precipitate HMs to the biochar. In addition, we assessed the risks of biochar applications. For instance, biochar may cause the leaching of certain HMs; biochar aging; co-transportation of biochar nanoparticles with HMs. Future work should focus on the artificial/intelligent design of biochar to make it suitable for remediation of multiple HMs contaminated soil.

Aminoalkyl-organo-silane treated sand for the adsorptive removal of arsenic from the groundwater: Immobilizing the mobilized geogenic contaminants

Arsenic (As), a geogenic legacy pollutant can be present in environmental matrices (water, soil, plants, or animal) in two redox states (As(III) or As(V)). In the present study, charged mono- and di-amino functionalized triethoxy and methoxyorganosilane (TT1 and TT2- 1% and 5%) were impregnated with quartz sand particles for the treatment of As polluted water. Spectroscopic characterization of organosilane treated sand (STS) indicated the co-existence of minerals (Mg, Mn, Ti), amide, and amidoalkyl groups, which implies the suitability of silanized materials as a metal(loids) immobilization agent from water. Changes in peaks were observed after As sorption in Fourier thermal infrared and EDS images indicating the involvement of chemisorption. Batch sorption studies were performed with the optimized experimental parameters, where an increased removal (>20% for TT2-1% and >60% for TT1-1%) of As was observed with sorbate concentration (50 µg L^-1), temp. (25 ± 2 ºC) and sorbent dosages (of 10 g L^-1) at 120 min contact time. Among the different adsorbent dosages, 10 g L^-1 of both TT1 and TT2 was selected as an optimum dosage (maximum adsorption capacity ≈ 2.91 μg g^-1). The sorption model parameters suggested the possibility of chemisorption, charge/ion-dipole interaction for the removal of arsenate.

Preparation and Characterization of a Novel Amidoxime-Modified Polyacrylonitrile/Fly Ash Composite Adsorbent and Its Application to Metal Wastewater Treatment

The polyacrylonitrile/fly ash composite was synthesized through solution polymerization and was modified with NH2OH·HCl. The amidoxime-modified polyacrylonitrile/fly ash composite demonstrated excellent adsorption capacity for Zn2+ in an aqueous medium. Fourier transform-Infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the prepared materials. The results showed that the resulting amidoxime-modified polyacrylonitrile/fly ash composite was able to effectively remove Zn2+ at pH 4-6. Adsorption of Zn2+ was hindered by the coexisting cations. The adsorption kinetics of Zn2+ by Zn2+ followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model. The adsorption process also satisfactorily fit the Langmuir model, and the adsorption process was mainly single layer. The Gibbs free energy ΔG0, ΔH0, and ΔS0 were negative, indicating the adsorption was a spontaneous, exothermic, and high degree of order in solution system.

Stabilization and passivation of multiple heavy metals in soil facilitating by pinecone-based biochar: Mechanisms and microbial community evolution

Soil contamination by multiple heavy metals and As is one of the major environmental hazards recognized worldwide. In this study, pinecone-biochar was used for stabilization and passivation of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, and As in contaminated soil around a smelter in Hubei province, China. The stabilization rate of heavy metals in soil can exceed 99%, and the leaching amount can meet the national standard of China (GB/T 5085.3-2007, less than 5, 100, 100, 15, and 5 mg/L, respectively.) within 90 days. The study confirmed that the addition of pinecone-biochar and the coexistence of indigenous microorganisms can effectively reduce the bioavailability of heavy metals. Among the heavy metals, As(III) can be oxidized to As(V) and then stabilized, and other heavy metals can be stabilized in a complex and chelated state characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. After pinecone-biochar was added, the abundance of microbial community and intensity of metabolic activities became vigorous, the types and contents of dissolved organic matter increased significantly. A novel innovation is that the addition of pinecone-biochar increased the Bacillus and Acinetobacter in soil, which enhanced the function of inorganic ion transport and metabolism to promote the passivation and stabilization of heavy metals throughout the remediation process.

Mechanism of Cd(II) and Cu(II) Adsorption onto Few-Layered Magnetic Graphene Oxide as an Efficient Adsorbent

Heavy metal contamination caused by industrial discharge is a challenging environmental issue. Herein, an efficient adsorbent based on few-layered magnetic graphene oxide (FLMGO) was fabricated, characterized, and utilized to remove aqueous Cd(II) and Cu(II). Results present that the two components graphene oxide (GO) and Fe₃O₄ of FLMGO promote mutually, enabling FLMGO to outperform either GO or Fe₃O₄. Specifically, FLMGO adsorbs Cd(II) and Cu(II) with adsorption quantities of 401.14 and 1114.22 mg·g^-1 in 5 and 7 min, respectively. Moreover, FLMGO can be readily recovered via magnetic separation using a hand-held magnet. Adsorptions are spontaneous, endothermic, and entropy increasing, which are the best described by the Freundlich and pseudo-second-order model. The interaction mechanism is as follows: lone pair electrons in C=O- and C-O-related groups were coordinated toward Cd(II) and Cu(II) to induce chemical interaction. The high adsorption efficiency endows FLMGO with encouraging application potential in heavy metal remediation.