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Enhanced removal of micropollutants from water using ZnCl2-modified Spirulina sp.-based biochar

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Abstract

Acetaminophen (ACT) and bisphenol A (BPA) are chemical industry micropollutants adversely affecting humans and the environment. Among various biomass, Spirulina was used to prepare pristine biochar (SB400) and ZnCl2-modified biochar (ZnSB400). The performance of different Spirulina-based adsorbents in terms of ACT and BPA adsorption was compared. The highest removal efficiency (for ACT, 67.7%; for BPA, 96.0%) was exhibited by ZnSB400 with its microporous structure (1.67 nm) and high specific surface area (235 m2 g−1). Regarding adsorption kinetics, the pseudo-second-order model was the best-fitting model (R2 > 0.98), whereas for the adsorption isotherm, the Redlich–Peterson model provided the best fit (R2 > 0.99). The efficiency in adsorbing ACT tended to decrease with temperature; in contrast, BPA did not exhibit significant changes in adsorption with temperature. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirmed that the primary mechanisms driving the adsorption of ACT and BPA on ZnSB400 were pore filling and π–π interactions. Hence, ZnCl2-modified Spirulina biochar is a promising adsorbent capable of effectively removing both ACT and BPA from water.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Korea Forest Service (Korea Forestry Promotion Institute) through the R&D Program for Forest Science Technology (Project No. 2023483D10-2325-AA01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea

    Soeun Moon & Chang-Gu Lee

  2. Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea

    Youn-Jun Lee & Chang-Gu Lee

  3. Department of Bioresources and Rural Systems Engineering, Hankyong National University, Anseong, 17579, Republic of Korea

    Seong-Jik Park

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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Soeun Moon and Youn-Jun Lee. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Soeun Moon and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Moon, S., Lee, YJ., Park, SJ. et al. Enhanced removal of micropollutants from water using ZnCl2-modified Spirulina sp.-based biochar. J Appl Phycol 36, 167–179 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-023-03122-9

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