Mesoporous biochar composite derived from hardwood and post-recycled plastic waste in Thailand: A case study of nickel removal in acidic solution

Q1 Social Sciences

South African Journal of Chemical Engineering Pub Date : 2025-05-19 DOI:10.1016/j.sajce.2025.05.002

Poramed Aungthitipan , Athicha Janthakhot , Pornmongkol Tansomrot , Surachai Wongcharee , Sukanya Hongthong , Torpong Kreetachat , Saksit Imman , Wipada Dechapanya

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Uncontrolled accumulation of post-recycled plastic waste poses significant environmental and sustainability challenges due to their resistance to degradation and potential for long-term pollution. This study investigates the synthesis and application of mesoporous biochar composites derived from hardwood and post-recycled plastic waste materials through slow pyrolysis, yielding a high specific area of about 42.47 m² g^-1 with a total pore volume of 0.1121 cm³ g^-1 and indicating mesoporous materials of pore diameter of about 24.64 nm. Comprehensive physicochemical characterization confirmed successful carbonization, with a high carbon content indicating enhanced stability and adsorption potential. The adsorption efficiency of the mesoporous hardwood-PRPW biochar was evaluated for nickel (II) ions removal from acidic aqueous solutions via batch experiments of initial concentration (0–100 mg l^-1), contact time (up to 120 min), solution pH (2–8), temperature (25 ± 1 °C), and adsorbent dosage (0.5–2 g l^-1). Kinetic modelling revealed that adsorption followed General Order and Fractal-Like PSO, suggesting chemisorption as the dominant process and multilayer adsorption mechanisms. Equilibrium isotherm studies indicated that the Redlich–Peterson model provided the best fit, demonstrating a hybrid monolayer and multilayer adsorption behavior with maximum adsorption capacity was determined to be 84.76 mg g^-1 based on the Toth isotherm. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed the process to be spontaneous, endothermic and entropy-driven, suggesting enhanced randomness at the solid-liquid interface, favoring metal ion uptake at higher temperatures. In addition, reusability and desorption studies demonstrated that the biochar retained 87.58 % of its adsorption capacity after the first regeneration cycle, declining to 68.81 % after four cycles, while desorption efficiency decreased from 81.65 % to 43.62 %, highlighting progressive surface fouling and structural degradation. These findings establish mesoporous hardwood-PRPW biochar as a highly efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable adsorbent for nickel removal. In conclusion, the study underscores the potential of upcycling waste materials into functional adsorbents, aligning with the ideologies of sustainable environmental management.

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从泰国硬木和再生塑料废物中提取的介孔生物炭复合材料：酸性溶液中除镍的案例研究

回收后的塑料废物难以降解，可能造成长期污染，因此无法控制的堆积对环境和可持续性构成重大挑战。本研究以硬木和再生塑料废弃物为原料，通过慢热解法制备介孔生物炭复合材料，制备的介孔材料比表面积约为42.47 m²g-1，总孔体积为0.1121 cm³g-1，孔径约为24.64 nm。综合物理化学表征证实碳化成功，高碳含量表明稳定性和吸附潜力增强。通过初始浓度（0 ~ 100 mg l-1）、接触时间（长达120 min）、溶液pH（2 ~ 8）、温度（25±1℃）和吸附剂用量（0.5 ~ 2 g l-1）的批量实验，评价介孔硬木- prpw生物炭对酸性水溶液中镍（II）离子的吸附效率。动力学模拟表明，吸附过程遵循一般序和分形PSO，表明化学吸附是主要吸附过程，吸附机制为多层吸附机制。平衡等温线研究表明，Redlich-Peterson模型是最合适的，表明单层和多层混合吸附行为，根据Toth等温线确定最大吸附量为84.76 mg g-1。热力学分析证实了这一过程是自发的、吸热的、熵驱动的，表明固液界面的随机性增强，有利于金属离子在高温下的吸收。此外，可重用性和解吸性研究表明，生物炭在第一次再生循环后仍保持87.58%的吸附容量，在第4次再生循环后下降到68.81%，而解吸效率从81.65%下降到43.62%，表明表面污染和结构降解的加剧。这些发现表明介孔硬木- prpw生物炭是一种高效、经济、可持续的除镍吸附剂。总之，该研究强调了将废物升级为功能性吸附剂的潜力，与可持续环境管理的意识形态相一致。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

South African Journal of Chemical Engineering Social Sciences-Education

CiteScore

8.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

100

审稿时长

33 weeks

期刊介绍： The journal has a particular interest in publishing papers on the unique issues facing chemical engineering taking place in countries that are rich in resources but face specific technical and societal challenges, which require detailed knowledge of local conditions to address. Core topic areas are: Environmental process engineering • treatment and handling of waste and pollutants • the abatement of pollution, environmental process control • cleaner technologies • waste minimization • environmental chemical engineering • water treatment Reaction Engineering • modelling and simulation of reactors • transport phenomena within reacting systems • fluidization technology • reactor design Separation technologies • classic separations • novel separations Process and materials synthesis • novel synthesis of materials or processes, including but not limited to nanotechnology, ceramics, etc. Metallurgical process engineering and coal technology • novel developments related to the minerals beneficiation industry • coal technology Chemical engineering education • guides to good practice • novel approaches to learning • education beyond university.