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Characteristics of Cu(II)-modified aerobic granular sludge biocarbon in removal of doxycycline hydroxide

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Abstract

In this study, the biocarbon derived from aerobic granular sludge with different nutritive proportions was modified by Cu(NO3)2•3H2O (Cu-BC) to improve its adsorption capacity of doxycycline hydrochloride (DOX). The surface area, pores, functional groups, and element composition of biocarbon were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), the X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), respectively. Effects of DOX concentration, initial pH, and background electrolyte on adsorption effects of composite were analyzed. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics, and diffusion model were investigated. Results demonstrated that biocarbons which were prepared with aerobic granular sludge under different nutritive proportions presented different performances. The BET specific surface area of Cu-NaAC/AGS-BC was 260.1592 m2/g, and the micropore volume was 0.054101 cm3/g. The BET specific surface area of Cu-GLC /AGS-BC was only 10.6821 m2/g, and the micropore volume was 0.008687 cm3/g. Both kinds of modified biochar contain a large number of oxygen-containing functional groups. The highest adsorption efficiency of Cu-BC could reach 99.54%. The adsorption of DOX on two modified biocarbons conforms to the pseudo-second-order dynamic model and Temkin isothermal model.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Lanzhou Branch, Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for finishing the SEM, XPS, and BET representation of the prepared materials.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due [REASON WHY DATA ARE NOT PUBLIC] but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21667017, 22166023).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Petrochemical Technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China

    Xia Zhao, Hao Wang, Weina Pei, Yumin Xu & Bowen Li

  2. Gansu Environmental Monitoring Center, Gansu Department of Ecology and Environment, Gansu, 730050, Lanzhou, China

    Guozhen Zhang

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  1. Xia Zhao
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  2. Hao Wang
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Contributions

XZ was responsible for cultivating granular sludge, and was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. HW was responsible for the preparation and analysis of biochar. GZ, WP, and YX were responsible for the section of the adsorption experiment. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xia Zhao.

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Zhao, X., Wang, H., Zhang, G. et al. Characteristics of Cu(II)-modified aerobic granular sludge biocarbon in removal of doxycycline hydroxide. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 14019–14035 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16547-x

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