Biocomposite of Hydrochar with Magnetic Properties for Adsorption Kinetics of Toxic Heavy Metal

Abstract

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of waste biomass for the fabrication of hydrochar (HC). However, HC possesses limited porosity and surface area, hindering its environmental application. In the present work, a novel approach of simultaneous activation and magnetization is proposed for the fabrication of magnetic hydrochar composite (MHC) via the HTC of pomegranate processing residue (PPR) that has been pretreated with solution of ferrous sulphate heptahydrate (FeSO4 ·7H2O). The material was characterized with VSM, Raman spectroscopy and XRD techniques. Capacity of prepared MHC was studied in the heavy metal ions (Pb(II)) adsorption from aqueous solution. Batch kinetic operation was used to study the adsorption characteristics of the MHC. The effect of contact time and the determination of the kinetic parameters of adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solution onto MHC powder are important in understanding the adsorption feature. The effect of contact time on adsorption quantity was studied at different temperature. Adsorption kinetic results show that Pb(II) uptake follows by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The experimental results of this study suggests that MHC is an economical, efficient and recyclable adsorbent and has great potential for Pb(II) removal from contaminated water.