Abstract
Rapeseed cake biochar was produced by pyrolysis at 973.15 K for 2 h, in anoxic conditions. Porous structure, specific surface area and die composition of waste rapeseed cake were studied. The specific surface area of rapeseed cake biochar was 166.99 m2·g−1, which exceeded most other biochars reported, which made it an attractive material during wastewater treatment. The SEM study of the material demonstrated a large number of pores formed on the cell wall, with a pore volume Vp = 0.08 cm3·g−1. The results indicate lower aromaticity and increased polarity of the tested material. The observed H/C ratio of 0.29 is similar for activated carbons. Furthermore, sorption properties of the obtained carbon material in relation to copper(II), zinc(II) and arsenic(III) ions were also studied. Moreover, the impact of parameters such as: sorption time, temperature, adsorbate concentration, sorbent mass and solution pH on the efficiency of the adsorption process of the studied cations was also examined. Sorption studies revealed that the sorbent can be successfully used for the separation of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from technological wastewaters. Rapeseed cake biochar exhibits superior Cu(II) adsorption capacity (52.2 mg·g−1) with a short equilibrium time (6 h). The experimental data collected show a high selectivity of the obtained carbon material relative to copper(II) and zinc(II) ions in the presence of arsenic(III) ions.
Highlights
Protection of the natural environment as well as natural resources has become the greatest challenge faced by humanity in the first decades of the 21st century
The degree of carbonisation expressed by the H/C molar ratio, according to the data in Table 2, indicates clearly that a pyrolysis temperature increase resulted in the H/C molar ratio systematically decreasing
The relatively high content of nitrogen (5.6%) in biochar may have a positive effect on the adsorption process
Summary
Protection of the natural environment as well as natural resources has become the greatest challenge faced by humanity in the first decades of the 21st century. The expansion of industry, technology and science, as well as the growth of the human population around the world, have a huge impact on the condition of the natural environment and commonly observed climate changes [1,2,3]. The development of industrial production is strongly associated with the rapid shrinkage of natural resources. It has to be underlined that such wastes could become a valuable source of numerous resources in industry. Recycling in line with the 3R principle (reduce, reuse, recycle) is a key activity that allows us to reduce the amount of industrial waste and decrease the exploitation of natural resources in a significant degree [4]
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