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Updated: Jun 22, 2025
Physical, Chemical and Biological Characterization of Six Biochars Produced for the Remediation of Contaminated Sites
Published on: November 28, 2014
Comparative Study for Propranolol Adsorption on the Biochars from Different Agricultural Solid Wastes.
Wenjie Nie1,2, Qianqian Che1, Danni Chen1
1College of Geology and Environment, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, 58 Yanta Road, Xi'an 710054, China.
Agricultural solid wastes converted to biochar effectively adsorb pollutants like pharmaceuticals. This study shows corn stalk biochar has the highest adsorption capacity for pharmaceutical pollutant PRO, offering insights for water treatment applications.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Water Treatment
Background:
- Agricultural solid wastes pose environmental challenges.
- Pyrolysis converts waste into biochar, a material with significant adsorption capabilities.
- Pharmaceuticals, such as PRO, are emerging environmental contaminants requiring effective removal methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the adsorption of pharmaceutical pollutant PRO onto biochars derived from different agricultural feedstocks.
- To understand the influence of pH, coexisting ions (Na+, Ca2+), and humic acid (HA) on PRO adsorption.
- To determine the adsorption isotherm and kinetic models governing PRO-biochar interactions.
Main Methods:
- Pyrolysis of agricultural solid wastes (corn stalk, apple wood, rice husk) to produce biochar.
- Batch adsorption experiments to evaluate PRO removal efficiency.
- Analysis of factors including pH, ionic strength, and humic acid concentration.
- Application of Freundlich and pseudo-second-order models to isotherm and kinetic data.
Main Results:
- Corn stalk biochar exhibited the highest PRO adsorption capacity (10.97 mg/g), followed by apple wood (10.09 mg/g) and rice husk (8.78 mg/g).
- Adsorption capacity increased with pH up to 9, then decreased.
- Increased Na+ and Ca2+ concentrations reduced PRO adsorption, indicating electrostatic interactions and cation exchange.
- Humic acid showed a biphasic effect, promoting adsorption at low concentrations (<20 mg/L) and inhibiting it at higher concentrations.
- Adsorption followed the Freundlich isotherm model (heterogeneous adsorption) and pseudo-second-order kinetics.
Conclusions:
- Biochar derived from agricultural wastes is a promising adsorbent for PRO removal from aquatic environments.
- The adsorption process is influenced by solution chemistry, involving electrostatic interactions and cation exchange.
- Understanding these interactions provides a theoretical basis for the practical application of biochar in wastewater treatment.
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