article · Bioresource Technology
A functionalised algal biochar-clay composite was synthesised to capture pollutants from water. Its sorption performance was evaluated on norfloxacin antibiotic and crystal violet dye in both batch and continuous flow systems. Compared to its starting precursors, the composite demonstrated a thirty-fold increase in surface area alongside a well-developed pore structure. The material reached maximum sorption capacities of 192.80 milligrams per gram for norfloxacin and 281.24 milligrams per gram for crystal violet dye. Experimental data fitted the Freundlich and Clark models, showing multi-layer sorption. Investigation of the uptake process revealed several contributing mechanisms, including pi-pi interactions, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, and surface or pore filling. With a calculated production cost of 5.72 euros per kilogram, the composite provides a low-cost, efficient option for emergent water pollutant removal.
Emergent aquatic contaminants such as antibiotics and synthetic dyes pose persistent risks to water safety. Creating high-capacity sorbents from biochar and clay helps address these hard-to-remove pollutants. Because the material functions in continuous flow systems and relies on an economical formulation, it offers a practical method for reducing hazardous chemical residues in water supplies.
The composite is relevant to industrial wastewater operators and municipal water treatment facilities targeting dye and pharmaceutical effluents. Having been demonstrated in laboratory batch and continuous flow setups with an estimated cost of 5.72 euros per kilogram, this work sits at an applied and tested research stage. Further progression towards real-world adoption would depend on scaling production and testing under operational plant conditions.
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This study investigated the successful synthesis of functionalized algal biochar-clay composite (FBKC). Subsequently, the sorption performance of FBKC towards norfloxacin (NFX) antibiotic and crystal violet dye (CVD) from water was extensively assessed in both batch and continuous flow systems. A series of characterization techniques were carried out for FBKC and the utilized precursors, indicating that the surface area of FBKC was increased thirty-fold with a well-developed pore structure compared to the original precursors. FBKC demonstrated a maximum sorption capacity of 192.80 and 281.24 mg/g for NFX and CVD, respectively. The suited fitting of the experimental data to Freundlich and Clark models suggested multi-layer sorption of NFX/CVD molecules. The mechanistic studies of NFX/CVD sorption onto FBKC unveiled multiple mechanisms, including π-π interaction, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, and surface/pore filling effect. The estimated cost of 5.72 €/kg and superior sorption capacity makes FBKC an efficient low-cost sorbent for emergent water pollutants.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129593
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