Arsenic removal from water using lignocellulose adsorption medium (LAM)

Recent advances in cellulose-based sustainable materials for wastewater treatment: An overview

Water pollution presents a significant challenge, impacting ecosystems and human health. The necessity for solutions to address water pollution arises from the critical need to preserve and protect the quality of water resources. Effective solutions are crucial to safeguarding ecosystems, human health, and ensuring sustainable access to clean water for current and future generations. Generally, cellulose and its derivatives are considered potential substrates for wastewater treatment. The various cellulose processing methods including acid, alkali, organic & inorganic components treatment, chemical treatment and spinning methods are highlighted. Additionally, we reviewed effective use of the cellulose derivatives (CD), including cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), cellulose nano-fibrils (CNFs), CNPs, and bacterial nano-cellulose (BNC) on waste water (WW) treatment. The various cellulose processing methods, including spinning, mechanical, chemical, and biological approaches are also highlighted. Additionally, cellulose-based materials, including adsorbents, membranes and hydrogels are critically discussed. The review also highlighted the mechanism of adsorption, kinetics, thermodynamics, and sorption isotherm studies of adsorbents. The review concluded that the cellulose-derived materials are effective substrates for removing heavy metals, dyes, pathogenic microorganisms, and other pollutants from WW. Similarly, cellulose based materials are used for flocculants and water filtration membranes. Cellulose composites are widely used in the separation of oil and water emulsions as well as in removing dyes from wastewater. Cellulose's natural hydrophilicity makes it easier for it to interact with water molecules, making it appropriate for use in water treatment processes. Furthermore, the materials derived from cellulose have wider application in WW treatment due to their inexhaustible sources, low energy consumption, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and renewable nature.

A review on the use of lignocellulosic materials for arsenic adsorption

In this review, bibliometric analysis was made of recent studies and current trends concerning the application of lignocellulosic materials as bioadsorbents for the removal of arsenic from aqueous systems. Evaluation was made of lignocellulosic adsorbents and their chemical characteristics, as well as interactions involved in the adsorption of arsenic, bioadsorbent reusage (desorption and re-adsorption), competition between co-existing ions in multi-element aqueous solutions, and applications of bioadsorbents in batch and continuous systems. Lignocellulosic biomass has been shown to be a promising source of new adsorbents, since it is a low-cost and renewable material. However, there seems to be no commercially available technology that uses bioadsorbents based on lignocellulosic biomass for arsenic removal. In addition, the structural modification of lignocellulosic biomass to improve its adsorption capacity and selectivity has proved to be a suitable strategy, with the service time and the selectivity of the bioadsorbent in the presence of co-existing ions the most critical aspects to be pursued. The competitive adsorption of co-existing anions (PO₄^3-, SO₄^2-, NO₃^-, and Cl^-) by the adsorption sites, as well as life-cycle assessment and cost analysis are rarely reported. Complexation, electrostatic attraction, ion exchange and precipitation were the main interactions involved in the adsorption of arsenic on lignocellulosic materials. However, most studies have failed to prove the nature of the interactions. Macroscopic methods can be useful to evaluate the adsorption mechanism of arsenic on bioadsorbents of complex structure, such as lignocellulosic biomass (modified or not). Nevertheless, the elucidation of the adsorption mechanism requires experiments based on measurements at the microscopic level. The upscaling of biosorption technology for arsenic removal will only be possible through studies that investigate: i) the interactions involved in the adsorption process; ii) the transfer of bench-scale experiments to pilot-scale experiments with real contaminated water with low arsenic concentration; and iii) the life-cycle assessment of biosorbents produced from lignocellulosic biomass.

Advances in application of cotton-based adsorbents for heavy metals trapping, surface modifications and future perspectives

Cotton-based adsorbents (CBAs) are promising materials for combating the problem of heavy metal pollution of environmental waters. This is ascribed to the low cost, abundance, biodegradability and efficiency of CBAs. Herein we review the adsorption of heavy metals (HMs) onto CBAs. We found that several surface modifications were employed to improve the efficiency of the CBAs. These modifications were effected via thermal, physical and chemical means to obtain activated carbons, biochars, ionic liquids, aerogels, hydrogels, chitosans and nanoparticle-derived CBAs. The CBAs exhibited maximum HMs uptake as low as 0.002 mg/g to as high as 505.6 mg/g. Although, the cotton-derived activated carbons and biochars exhibited enhanced HM uptake from that of the unmodified CBAs, they were less efficient than CBAs modified by other methods. Recent chemical, ionic liquid, chitosan and nano-derived CBAs were the most efficient, with high uptake and fast kinetic removal. However, the nanoparticle-based adsorbents are preferred to the chemically modified forms, due to the possibility of secondary pollution and the noxious effect of the latter to the environment. Findings showed that chemical treatment produced CBAs most efficient for As(V), Pb(II) and Fe(III), while ionic liquid CBA was more efficient for Cu(II) and Ni(II). Nano-based treatment was suitable for the uptake of Co(II), Zn(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II), while the chitosan based adsorbent was viable for Hg(II). Isotherm and kinetic evaluation of CBAs mostly conformed to the Langmuir and pseudo-second order models, respectively. Spontaneous adsorption of HMs onto CBAs was deduced from thermodynamic analysis, with endothermic and exothermic characteristics. Over 88% desorption of HMs was obtained from the CBAs studied with good average reusability from 3 to 20 cycles. We also discussed the directions for future research.

Nanocellulose: From Fundamentals to Advanced Applications

Over the past few years, nanocellulose (NC), cellulose in the form of nanostructures, has been proved to be one of the most prominent green materials of modern times. NC materials have gained growing interests owing to their attractive and excellent characteristics such as abundance, high aspect ratio, better mechanical properties, renewability, and biocompatibility. The abundant hydroxyl functional groups allow a wide range of functionalizations via chemical reactions, leading to developing various materials with tunable features. In this review, recent advances in the preparation, modification, and emerging application of nanocellulose, especially cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), are described and discussed based on the analysis of the latest investigations (particularly for the reports of the past 3 years). We start with a concise background of cellulose, its structural organization as well as the nomenclature of cellulose nanomaterials for beginners in this field. Then, different experimental procedures for the production of nanocelluloses, their properties, and functionalization approaches were elaborated. Furthermore, a number of recent and emerging uses of nanocellulose in nanocomposites, Pickering emulsifiers, wood adhesives, wastewater treatment, as well as in new evolving biomedical applications are presented. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of NC-based emerging materials are discussed.

High efficiency removal of As(III) from waters using a new and friendly adsorbent based on sugarcane bagasse and corncob husk Fe-coated biochars

Water contamination of As is a big issue in many areas around the globe. Therefore, cheap and efficient techniques are essential facing traditional treatment methods. Then, biochars (BC) emerged recently as material that can be used for As removal. However, research about efficiency of BC produced from local feedstock is still needed. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficiency of BC produced from sugarcane bagasse (SB) together with corncob husk (CH) with and without Fe(III) (BC_Fe) modification to be used for removal of As(III) from waters. The BC and BC_Fe produced at different pyrolysis temperatures were characterised using FTIR and SEM/EDS. Adsorption capacities of BC and BC_Fe were evaluated via batch adsorption, desorption and column tests and their performance was compared with adsorption using activated carbon. The results showed that Fe modification improve substantially the As(III) adsorption in a way that both BC_Fe-SB and BC_Fe-CH removed from 85% to 99.9% from 1000 µg/L As(III) solutions. Both materials fitted well in Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacity was 20 mg/g for BC_Fe-SB and 50 mg/g for BC_Fe-CH. The adsorption kinetics of BC_Fe was fast (≤ 30 min) and it had a better performance than activated carbon. The column tests showed that the process is efficient even at high As(III) concentrations. The fast removal process and good removal results make the BC_Fe-SB and BC_Fe-CH attractive for in situ and commercial (filters) use, since time and efficiency are required in new technologies.

Lignin and Lignin Based Materials for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Waste Water-An Overview

Water Pollution through heavy metals is the concerned issue as many industries like tanning, steel production and electroplating are the major contributors. Various toxic Heavy metals are a matter of concern as they have severe environmental and health effects. Most commonly, conventional methods are using to remove these heavy metals like precipitation, ion exchange, which are not economical and have disposal issues. Adsorption of heavy metals by different low-cost adsorbents seems to be the best option in wastewater treatment. Many agricultural by-products proved to be suitable as low-cost adsorbents for removing heavy metals efficiently in a minimum time. Lignin residues that involves both agricultural and wood residues and sometimes separated out from black liquor through precipitation have adsorption capacity and affinity comparable to other natural adsorbents. However, lignin as bio adsorbents have the advantage of less cost and gives efficient adsorption results. This study is a review of the recent literature on the use of natural lignin residues for heavy metals adsorption under different experimental scenarios.

Effect of extremely high specific flow rates on the removal of NOM and arsenic from groundwater with an ion-exchange resin: a pilot-scale study in Northern Serbia

A pilot-scale study was performed to explore the possibility of the removal of natural organic matter (NOM) and arsenic from groundwater in the village of Melenci (Northern Serbia) using strongly basic, macroporous ion-exchange resin, commercially available as Amberlite IRA 958-Cl. The influences of the specific flow rate (SFR) and a broad range of contact times were studied using native groundwater and the same water pretreated with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) for the oxidation of As(III) to As(V) and the degradation of NOM. The investigated SFR exceeded the manufacturer's recommended maximum value by up to ten times. In the range of SFR from 50 to 300 bed volumes per hour (BV/h), a higher efficiency of NOM removal was achieved in the absence of the oxidant, whereas at lower SFR and shorter contact times, the efficiency was higher when the water was pretreated. The arsenic removal from the oxidant-pretreated water was equally efficient at all SFR, whereas in the absence of the oxidant the efficiency was significantly lower and did not depend on SFR. The effectiveness of the resin illustrates the fact that the experimentally determined optimum SFR value of 30 BV/h is stated as the maximum in the manufacturer's specifications.

Arsenic removal from water/wastewater using adsorbents--A critical review

Arsenic's history in science, medicine and technology has been overshadowed by its notoriety as a poison in homicides. Arsenic is viewed as being synonymous with toxicity. Dangerous arsenic concentrations in natural waters is now a worldwide problem and often referred to as a 20th-21st century calamity. High arsenic concentrations have been reported recently from the USA, China, Chile, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Mexico, Argentina, Poland, Canada, Hungary, Japan and India. Among 21 countries in different parts of the world affected by groundwater arsenic contamination, the largest population at risk is in Bangladesh followed by West Bengal in India. Existing overviews of arsenic removal include technologies that have traditionally been used (oxidation, precipitation/coagulation/membrane separation) with far less attention paid to adsorption. No previous review is available where readers can get an overview of the sorption capacities of both available and developed sorbents used for arsenic remediation together with the traditional remediation methods. We have incorporated most of the valuable available literature on arsenic remediation by adsorption ( approximately 600 references). Existing purification methods for drinking water; wastewater; industrial effluents, and technological solutions for arsenic have been listed. Arsenic sorption by commercially available carbons and other low-cost adsorbents are surveyed and critically reviewed and their sorption efficiencies are compared. Arsenic adsorption behavior in presence of other impurities has been discussed. Some commercially available adsorbents are also surveyed. An extensive table summarizes the sorption capacities of various adsorbents. Some low-cost adsorbents are superior including treated slags, carbons developed from agricultural waste (char carbons and coconut husk carbons), biosorbents (immobilized biomass, orange juice residue), goethite and some commercial adsorbents, which include resins, gels, silica, treated silica tested for arsenic removal come out to be superior. Immobilized biomass adsorbents offered outstanding performances. Desorption of arsenic followed by regeneration of sorbents has been discussed. Strong acids and bases seem to be the best desorbing agents to produce arsenic concentrates. Arsenic concentrate treatment and disposal obtained is briefly addressed. This issue is very important but much less discussed.