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Recovery of NH +4 by corn cob produced biochars and its potential application as soil conditioner

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Abstract

NH +4 ion, a main pollutant in aquatic systems, not only causes eutrophication in rivers and lakes but also contributes to fish toxicity. In this study, an eco-friendly biosorbent was prepared from the pyrolysis of corn cob, a low-cost agricultural residue. The biochars produced by pyrolysis of corn cob at 400°C and 600°C were characterized and investigated as adsorbents for NH +4 -N from an aqueous solution. The biochars were characterized through elemental analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller-N2 surface area analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the NH +4 adsorption process of the corn cob biochars. The Freundlich isotherm model fitted the adsorption process better than the Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Moreover, the adsorption process was well described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Results of thermodynamic analysis suggested that adsorption was a nonspontaneous exothermic process. Biochars produced at 400°C had higher adsorption capacity than those produced at 600°C because of the presence of polar functional groups with higher acidity. The exhausted biochar can be potentially used as soil conditioner, which can provide 6.37 kg NH +4 -N·t −1 (N fertilizer per ton of biochar).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Yang Zhang, Zifu Li & Ibrahim B. Mahmood

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  1. Yang Zhang
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  2. Zifu Li
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  3. Ibrahim B. Mahmood
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Correspondence to Zifu Li.

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Zhang, Y., Li, Z. & Mahmood, I.B. Recovery of NH +4 by corn cob produced biochars and its potential application as soil conditioner. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 8, 825–834 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-014-0682-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-014-0682-9

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