Biomass facilitated phase transformation of natural hematite at high temperatures and sorption of Cd2+ and Cu2

Shengsen Wang; Mingyue Zhao; Min Zhou; Yiting Zhao; Yuncong C Li; Bin Gao; Ke Feng; Weiqin Yin; Yong Sik Ok; Xiaozhi Wang

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2019.01.004

Biomass facilitated phase transformation of natural hematite at high temperatures and sorption of Cd²⁺ and Cu²

Environ Int. 2019 Mar:124:473-481. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.01.004. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Authors

Shengsen Wang¹, Mingyue Zhao², Min Zhou², Yiting Zhao², Yuncong C Li³, Bin Gao⁴, Ke Feng⁵, Weiqin Yin², Yong Sik Ok⁶, Xiaozhi Wang⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Guangdong, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, China.
² College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China.
³ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China; Soil and Water Sciences Department, Tropical Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, Homestead, FL 33031, United States of America.
⁴ Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States of America.
⁵ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, China.
⁶ Korea Biochar Research Center & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 30684805
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.01.004

Abstract

Phase changes of natural hematite are often practiced to improve heavy metal removal and magnetism for easy recycling. In this work, pinewood biomass (PB) and natural hematite (H) admixtures were pyrolyzed at 300, 450 and 600 °C under N₂ environment to prepare HBC nanocomposites (HBC300, HBC450 and HBC600). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the reductive transformation of hematite (crystallite size ≈ 47 nm) into magnetite (25 nm) and further to wustite (25 nm) and zerovalent iron (48 nm). The Langmuir isotherms showed that the maximum sorption capacities of HBC300, HBC450, and HBC600 were 173, 138, and 130 mmol kg^-1 for Cd²⁺, and 359, 172, and 197 mmol kg^-1 for Cu²⁺, respectively. The higher pH up to 5 increased sorption of both Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺, whereas the higher ionic strength (0.05-0.4 M) decreased Cd²⁺ sorption. Sorption of Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺ by HBC300 was accompanied by one order of magnitude greater cation release than HBC450 and HBC600. In a binary system, Cd²⁺ sorption was depressed by over four times in presence of Cu²⁺. Overall, ion exchange was more pronounced for HBC300, and Cu²⁺ was more favorably retained by specific sorption than Cd²⁺. The greater magnetism of HBC nanoparticles favors separation from aqueous solutions.

Keywords: Heavy metals; Ion exchange; Iron oxide; Pyrolysis; Reduction; Water and wastewater treatment.

Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Biomass*
Cadmium / chemistry*
Copper / chemistry*
Ferric Compounds / chemistry*
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Metals, Heavy / chemistry
Temperature
Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical / chemistry*
Water Purification / methods

Substances

Ferric Compounds
Metals, Heavy
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Cadmium
Water
ferric oxide
Copper