Self-propagating synthesis of Zn-loaded biochar for tetracycline elimination

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 759; p. 143542
• Main Authors: Wang, Wei, Gao, Ming, Cao, Mengbo, Dan, Jianming, Yang, Hongbing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 10.03.2021
• Subjects: adsorbents; Adsorption; Adsorption mechanism; biochar; Charcoal; combustion; environment; Fraxinus pennsylvanica; hospitals; humic acids; hydrogen; Kinetics; Self-propagating combustion; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Tetracycline; wastewater; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Zinc; Zn-loaded biochar; Self-propagating combustion; Adsorption; Zn-loaded biochar; Adsorption mechanism; Tetracycline
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143542

Herein, a novel Zn-loaded biochar (Zn-LBC) originating from Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh leaves was successfully prepared through a simple and rapid self-propagating combustion reaction (SHS) and could serve as an efficient adsorbent for tetracycline (TC) elimination from water. The adsorption performance was analyzed via a series of characterizations and batch adsorption experiments. The results showed that the novel adsorbent Zn-LBC exhibited an excellent TC adsorption capacity (159.64 mg/g), which was 2.63 times higher than that of the original biochar (60.78 mg/g). The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich isothermal model fit the adsorption data well. It is noteworthy that Zn-LBC had little effect on the adsorption capacity of TC in the 0–10 mg/L various coexisting ion range and presence of humic acid (HA). In addition, the adsorption test of TC using hospital wastewater as the water sample also achieved satisfactory results (raw influent: 52.65 mg/g, final effluent: 85.64 mg/g). FT-IR and XPS investigations showed that the TC adsorption mechanism included surface complexation, π-π interactions, and hydrogen bonds. The results provide new ideas for exploring low-cost and highly efficient modified biochar adsorbent for TC elimination. [Display omitted] •Zn-loaded biochar was successfully prepared by self-propagating combustion method.•The self-propagating combustion is facile, effective and time-saving (30 min).•Excellent adsorption performance (159.64 mg/g) of tetracycline was achieved.•Adsorption mechanism included surface complexation, π-π interactions and H-bond.