Remediation potential of biochar/copper oxide nanoparticles composite for lead- and cadmium-contaminated wastewater
Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Environmental Earth Sciences
Publication Date
12-1-2023
Abstract
This study evaluates the batch scale performance of Sesbania bispinosa biochar (SBBC) and its nanocomposite with copper oxide nanoparticles (SBBC/CuO) to remove lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) from synthetic wastewater and groundwater. Point of zero charge (PZC), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis were conducted to gain insight into the removal process. The batch scale experiment assessed the effects of initial concentrations of Pb and Cd (25–200 mg/L), solution pH (3–9), adsorbent dose (0.5–2.0 g/L) and interaction time (15–180 min) to remove Pb and Cd from synthetic wastewater. The highest removal of Pb (98.7%) and Cd (95.5%) was observed at 25 mg/L, optimum pH (5), time (60 min), and material dose (1.0 g/L). However, increasing the initial level of Cd and Pb decreased their removal from contaminated water. The SBBC/CuO showed excellent reusability for Cd and Pb with 4.3% and 5.1% decline, respectively, after four adsorption/desorption cycles. The adsorption of Pb and Cd onto SBBC/CuO composite was found to be 191.5 mg/g and 186.9 mg/g, respectively; signifying improved performance compared to SBBC adsorbent alone. The presence of other cations in groundwater competes with Cd and Pb and hence there is a decline in Cd and Pb removal depending on the concentrations of these competing cations. The fitting behavior of equilibrium experimental adsorption varied depending on the adsorbent material and Cd/Pb, while kinetic adsorption showed best fit with pseudo-second-order kinetic for both Cd and Pb adsorption. The results suggested that SBBC combined with nanoparticles is a promising adsorbent for metal removal from contaminated water.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
82
Issue
23
Disciplines
Life Sciences
Keywords
Adsorption, Biochar–CuO nanocomposite, Modeling, Reusability, Trace metals
Scopus ID
Recommended Citation
Imran, Muhammad; Ali, Liaqat; Ali, Liaqat; Wakeel, Muhammad; Siddique, Muhammad Hussnain; Khan, Zia Ul Haq; Murtaza, Behzad; Iqbal, Jibran; Al-Kahtani, Abdullah A.; and Shahid, Muhammad, "Remediation potential of biochar/copper oxide nanoparticles composite for lead- and cadmium-contaminated wastewater" (2023). All Works. 6181.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/6181
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
no