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Integrated comparisons of thorium(IV) adsorption onto alkali-treated duckweed biomass and duckweed-derived hydrothermal and pyrolytic biochar

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Abstract

In order to remove aqueous radionuclides and find an appropriate method for the disposal of wild duckweed in eutrophic water body, alkali-treated duckweed biomass and duckweed-based hydrothermal biochar (hydrochar) and pyrolytic biochars of 300 and 600 °C were prepared. Their physicochemical properties were characterized carefully. The adsorption isothermal data fitted well with the Langmuir model and the maximum Langmuir adsorption capacities were 104.1, 96.3, 86.7, and 63.5 mg/g for hydrochar, modified biomass, and 300 and 600 °C biochars, respectively. The adsorption kinetic data fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. The sorption data of fixed-bed column also confirmed the high efficient removal of Th(IV) and fitted well with the Thomas model. The duckweed-based hydrothermal biochar is a low-cost adsorbent for Th(IV) removal, and it is also a resource utilization technology of the duckweed collected from eutrophic water body.

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Funding

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21677075) and the Project of International Cooperation and Exchange of Nanjing Tech University (2017–2019).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, 30 Puzhu Southern Road, Nanjing, 211816, People’s Republic of China

    Ting Chen, Nan Zhang, Zhao Xu & Zhuhong Ding

  2. State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Center of Material Analysis and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, People’s Republic of China

    Xin Hu

Authors
  1. Ting Chen
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  2. Nan Zhang
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  3. Zhao Xu
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  4. Xin Hu
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  5. Zhuhong Ding
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhuhong Ding.

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Responsible editor: Tito Roberto Cadaval Jr

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Chen, T., Zhang, N., Xu, Z. et al. Integrated comparisons of thorium(IV) adsorption onto alkali-treated duckweed biomass and duckweed-derived hydrothermal and pyrolytic biochar. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 2523–2530 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3789-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3789-x

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