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Towards Understanding the Mechanism of Heavy Metals Immobilization in Biochar Derived from Co-pyrolysis of Sawdust and Sewage Sludge

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Abstract

Biochar was prepared by mixing sewage sludge with sawdust via a co-pyrolysis with different mixture ratios and temperatures. The results showed that the sawdust addition resulted in a lower yield of biochar with higher C content. The total concentrations of Pb and Cd in biochar were reduced. Besides, pyrolysis can transform the potentially toxic Pb and Cd to stable fractions. However the sawdust addition had slight influence on the chemical forms of Pb and Cd in the biochar. The biochar with 50% sawdust at 600°C exhibited a remarkable reduction of the leachable metal concentrations. The possible transformation mechanisms of Pb and Cd were inferred as the formation of aluminum and silicon-containing minerals. These results provide insights into the influence of sawdust addition on the characteristics of biochar and the possible Pb and Cd immobilization mechanisms during co-pyrolysis process.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2017ZX07203-001) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51678280).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Yan-Qin Yang, Min-Hua Cui, Zhi-Yong Zheng & He Liu

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center of Environmental Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People’s Republic of China

    Yan-Qin Yang, Yi-Gang Ren & Jian-Chao Guo

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  1. Yan-Qin Yang
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  2. Min-Hua Cui
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  3. Yi-Gang Ren
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  4. Jian-Chao Guo
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  5. Zhi-Yong Zheng
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  6. He Liu
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Correspondence to Min-Hua Cui or He Liu.

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Yang, YQ., Cui, MH., Ren, YG. et al. Towards Understanding the Mechanism of Heavy Metals Immobilization in Biochar Derived from Co-pyrolysis of Sawdust and Sewage Sludge. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 104, 489–496 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-020-02801-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-020-02801-4

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