Performance and Mechanism of As(III/V) Removal from Aqueous Solution by Fe3O4-Sunflower Straw Biochar

Comparison of two carbonaceous supported Fe-rich adsorbents for arsenate removal: A functionalisation and mechanistic study with applicability to groundwater treatment

The presence of arsenic in groundwater, and through this in drinking water, has been shown to present a serious risk to public health in many regions of the world. In this study, two iron-rich carbonous adsorbents were compared for the removal of arsenate (As(V)) from groundwater. Biochars (FeO-biochar and FeO-pyrochar) derived from biomass waste were functionalised in two different ways with iron chloride for comparation. Batch and dynamic parameters were optimised to achieve >99% As(V) removal efficiency. Experimental data were best described by the pseudo-second order kinetic model, while multi-stage diffusion appeared to limit mass transfer of As(V). Among the isotherm models evaluated, the Freundlich model best described the experimental results with high correlation coefficients (R2 ≥ 0.94) for both adsorbents. Monolayer adsorption capacities were found to be 4.34 mg/g and 8.66 mg/g for FeO-biochar and FeO-pyrochar, respectively. Batch studies followed by instrumental characterisation of the materials indicated the removal mechanisms involved to be electrostatic interactions (outer-sphere), OH- ligand exchange (inner-sphere complexation) and hydrogen bonding with functional groups. Higher pHpzc (9.1), SBET (167.2 m2/g), and iron/elemental content for the FeO-pyrochar (compared with the FeO-biochar) suggested that both surface chemistry and porosity/surface area were important in adsorption. Dynamic studies showed FeO-pyrochar can be used to remove As(V) from groundwater even at low 'environmental' concentrations relevant to legislative limits (<10 μg/L), whereby 7 g of FeO-pyrochar was able to treat 5.4 L groundwater.

Insights into kinetics, thermodynamics, and mechanisms of chemically activated sunflower stem biochar for removal of phenol and bisphenol-A from wastewater

This study synthesized a highly efficient KOH-treated sunflower stem activated carbon (KOH-SSAC) using a two-step pyrolysis process and chemical activation using KOH. The resulting material exhibited exceptional properties, such as a high specific surface area (452 m2/g) and excellent adsorption capacities for phenol (333.03 mg/g) and bisphenol A (BPA) (365.81 mg/g). The adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic, benefiting from the synergistic effects of hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, and stacking interactions. Comparative analysis also showed that KOH-SSAC performed approximately twice as well as sunflower stem biochar (SSB), indicating its potential for water treatment and pollutant removal applications. The study suggests the exploration of optimization strategies to further enhance the efficiency of KOH-SSAC in large-scale scenarios. These findings contribute to the development of improved materials for efficient water treatment and pollution control.

Novel Adsorbents and Adsorption Methods for Pollutant Removal

Over the past few decades, with the rapid growth of the global population and economy, the increasing levels of various pollutants such as heavy metals, radionuclides, and organic/inorganic/biological toxins from various industries and human activities, which diffuse into aspects of the environment such as the atmosphere, soil, and natural water, have posed a serious threat to human health and the environment [...].