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Potential of removing Pb, Cd, and Cu from aqueous solutions using a novel modified ginkgo leaves biochar by simply one-step pyrolysis

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Abstract

In this study, a novel alkali-modified biochar prepared from ginkgo leaves was produced by simply one-step pyrolysis and was investigated as an adsorbent for the removal of Pb, Cd, and Cu from aqueous solutions. After modified by alkali, ginkgo leaves biochar exhibited abundant surface functional groups and large porosity, resulting in high adsorption capacities for Pb (589.32 mg·g−1), Cd (563.55 mg·g−1), and Cu (81.7 mg·g−1). Simulation results showed that pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir model were better fitted to analyze the heavy metals adsorption process by alkali-BC, indicating that multilayer adsorption was the main reason for heavy metals removal. Besides, effect of pH and coexisting cations on adsorption of Pb, Cd, and Cu by alkali-BC was studied. Moreover, competitive adsorption of the three heavy metal ions by alkali-BC in binary system was also explored. Finally, the removal mechanism of Pb, Cd, and Cu in aqueous solution was analyzed and summarized. Due to the good performance in a wider pH range and high absorption capacity, alkali-BC would be an efficient adsorbent for heavy metals in real environmental samples.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 22006121) and Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2020YFH0048). We would like to thank Mr. Weizhen Fang and Miss Zhangmei Hu at Analytical and Testing Center of Southwest Jiaotong University for their assistance with SEM and BET analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China

    Dongmei Wang, Weiye Luo, Jingyi Zhu, Tengfei Wang, Zhengjun Gong & Meikun Fan

  2. State-Province Joint Engineering Laboratory of Spatial Information Technology of High-Speed Rail Safety, Chengdu, 610031, China

    Dongmei Wang, Zhengjun Gong & Meikun Fan

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  1. Dongmei Wang
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Correspondence to Dongmei Wang.

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Wang, D., Luo, W., Zhu, J. et al. Potential of removing Pb, Cd, and Cu from aqueous solutions using a novel modified ginkgo leaves biochar by simply one-step pyrolysis. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 13, 8277–8286 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-01732-2

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