Iron- and Nitrogen-Modified Biochar for Nitrate Adsorption from Aqueous Solution

Sohrab Haghighi Mood (), Manuel Raul Pelaez-Samaniego, Yinglei Han, Kalidas Mainali and Manuel Garcia-Perez
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Sohrab Haghighi Mood: Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
Manuel Raul Pelaez-Samaniego: Department of Applied Chemistry and Production Systems, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Cuenca, Cuenca 010107, Ecuador
Yinglei Han: Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
Kalidas Mainali: Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
Manuel Garcia-Perez: Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-20

Abstract: Nutrient pollution poses a significant global environmental threat, and addressing this issue remains an ongoing challenge. Biochar has been identified as a potential adsorbent for environmental remediation. However, raw biochar has a low nitrate adsorption capacity; thus, biochar modification is necessary for targeted environmental applications. This work explored and compared the performance of Fe-doped, N-doped, and N-Fe-co-doped biochars from Douglas fir toward nitrate removal from an aqueous solution. A central composite experimental design was used to optimize processing variables, maximizing the surface area and nitrate adsorption capacity. Proximate analysis, elemental composition, gas physisorption, XPS, SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD were used to characterize the biochar’s properties. Pyrolysis under NH 3 gas generated more pores in biochar than conventional pyrolysis. Doping biochar with N and Fe improved nitrate adsorption capacity from aqueous solutions. The maximum nitrate adsorption capacity of Fe-N-doped biochar produced at 800 °C was 20.67 mg g −1 in sorption tests at pH 3.0. The formation of N-containing functional groups and Fe oxides on the biochar surface enhanced the nitrate removal efficiency of N-Fe biochar. The results indicate that biochar’s adsorption capacity for NO 3 − is largely affected by the solution’s pH and biochar’s surface chemistry. Electrostatic attraction is the primary mechanism for nitrate adsorption.

Keywords: Douglas fir; pyrolysis; biochar; nitrate adsorption; Fe-N-co-doped biochar (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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