Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron and Chitosan Functionalized Eichhornia crassipes Biochar for Efficient Hexavalent Chromium Removal

Xue-Li Chen, Feng Li, Xiao Jie Xie, Zhi Li and Long Chen
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Xue-Li Chen: School of Civil Engineering & Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Feng Li: School of Civil Engineering & Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Xiao Jie Xie: School of Civil Engineering & Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Zhi Li: San Bernardino, California State University, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
Long Chen: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-15

Abstract: Sorption is widely used for the removal of toxic heavy metals such as hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous solutions. Green sorbents prepared from biomass are attractive, because they leverage the value of waste biomass and reduce the overall cost of water treatment. In this study, we fabricated biochar (BC) adsorbent from the biomass of water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes ), an invasive species in many river channels. Pristine BC was further modified with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and stabilized with chitosan (C) to form C–nZVI–BC. C–nZVI–BC adsorbent showed high hexavalent chromium sorption capacity (82.2 mg/g) at pH 2 and removed 97.34% of 50 mg/L Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. The sorption capacity of chitosan–nZVI-modified biochar decreased while increasing the solution pH value and ionic strength. The results of a sorption test indicated that multiple mechanisms accounted for Cr(VI) removal by C–nZVI–BC, including complexation, precipitation, electrostatic interactions, and reduction. Our study suggests a way of adding value to biomass waste by considering environmental treatment purposes.

Keywords: chromium; biochar; nanoscale zero-valent iron; chitosan; sorption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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