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Nanoscale zero-valent iron particles supported on sludge-based biochar for the removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous system

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Abstract

Biochar (BC) obtained by the co-pyrolysis of municipal sewage sludge (MSS) and sunflower seed shells (SSS) was utilized to support nanoscale zero-valent iron particles (nZVI) for the synthesis of a composite material (nZVI-BC) for Cr(VI) removal from aqueous systems. A series of characterization methods confirmed successful immobilization of nZVI on the surface of biochar with no aggregation. Batch experiments showed that the initial pH, initial Cr(VI) concentration, and nZVI-BC dose all significantly affected the Cr(VI) removal using nZVI-BC. The kinetics for Cr(VI) removal via nZVI-BC could be better explained by the pseudo-second-order (PSO) adsorption model. Adsorption isotherms analysis demonstrated the superior Cr(VI) removal capability of nZVI-BC in comparison to bare nZVI and BC. nZVI-BC can be reused after the regeneration process by applying 0.1 M H2SO4 and 0.1 M NaBH4 solutions. The reaction mechanism for Cr(VI) removal might involve its chemical reduction on the nZVI-BC surface. Overall, environmentally friendly nZVI-BC was highly efficient in Cr(VI) removal from aqueous systems.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This research work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Projects (ZX20200121) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (N180112012).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China

    Xi Chen, Guangjian Fan, Haibo Li, Yinghua Li, Ran Zhang, Yu Huang & Xinyang Xu

Authors
  1. Xi Chen
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  2. Guangjian Fan
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  3. Haibo Li
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  4. Yinghua Li
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  5. Ran Zhang
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  6. Yu Huang
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  7. Xinyang Xu
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Contributions

XX, HL, and YL contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation was performed by RZ and YH, and data collection and analysis were performed by XC and GF. The first draft of the manuscript was written by GF, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xinyang Xu.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Zhihong Xu

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Highlight

• Biochar as a carrier could effectively improve the dispersion of nZVI.

• NZVI-BC showed superior Cr(VI) removal capability than bare nZVI and BC.

• The PFO model could better fit the Cr(VI) removal process.

• The reduction of Cr(VI) mainly occurred on solid surface.

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Chen, ., Fan, G., Li, H. et al. Nanoscale zero-valent iron particles supported on sludge-based biochar for the removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous system. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 3853–3863 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15969-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15969-x

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