Abstract
Developing biosorbents derived from agro-industrial biomass is considered as an economic and sustainable method for dealing with uranium-contaminated wastewater. The present study explores the feasibility of oxidizing a representative protein-rich biomass, brewer’s spent grain (BSG), to an effective and reusable uranyl ion adsorbent to reduce the cost and waste generation during water treatment. The unique composition of BSG favors the oxidation process and yields in a high carboxyl group content (1.3 mmol/g) of the biosorbent. This makes BSG a cheap, sustainable, and suitable raw material independent from pre-treatment. The oxidized brewer’s spent grain (OBSG) presents a high adsorption capacity of U(VI) of 297.3 mg/g (c0(U) = 900 mg/L, pH = 4.7) and fast adsorption kinetics (1 h) compared with other biosorbents reported in the literature. Infrared spectra (Fourier transform infrared), 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis were employed to characterize the biosorbents and reveal the adsorption mechanisms. The desorption and reusability of OBSG were tested for five cycles, resulting in a remaining adsorption of U(VI) of 100.3 mg/g and a desorption ratio of 89%. This study offers a viable and sustainable approach to convert agro-industrial waste into effective and reusable biosorbents for uranium removal from wastewater.
Highlights
Uranium is one of the most widely applied radioactive elements commonly used as a source for nuclear fuel.[1]
oxidized brewer’s spent grain (OBSG) derived from nitrooxidation shows an increased intensity of the absorption band attributed to the C O stretching vibration of the −COOH groups (1732 cm−1), while applying other oxidation methods results in a decreased intensity of this absorption band
The current study shows for the first time the successful oxidation of brewer’s spent grain (BSG) with 85 wt % H3PO4 and NaNO2, which leads to an increase in the content of the carboxyl groups from 0.15 to 1.3 mmol/g in OBSG
Summary
Uranium is one of the most widely applied radioactive elements commonly used as a source for nuclear fuel.[1]. Uranium presents renal, developmental, and reproductive toxicity and causes diminished bone growth and DNA damage, as obtained from experimental animal studies and human epidemiology.[5] Numerous adsorbents have been explored to remove uranium from the water environment, such as mesoporous carbon,[6] graphene oxides,[7] hydrochar,[8] chitosan,[9] amidoxime-based materials,[10] and functional fibrous material-based adsorbents.[11] Natural organic raw materials are the most attractive materials for green adsorbent production, and the diversity of raw materials of biosorbents has been increased rapidly, including hazelnut shells,[12] chitosan,[13] nanocellulose,[14] starch,[15] saw dust,[16] etc These biosorbents possess several advantages such as very low cost, easy to functionalize, and the possibility of further volume decrease by pyrolysis.[17] the biocompatibility and non-toxicity of biosorbents are safe for animal and human health when applying in the water environment.[18,19]
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