Removal of Heavy Metals by Biochar using Microfluidic Technology from Contaminated Water

Abstract

Removal of heavy metals (HM) ions from water and soil system is a global issue and requires sustainable and efficient remediation technology. The effectiveness of the integration of instrumental control methods based on microfluidic systems and environmentally friendly, affordable sorbents to optimize and enhance the sorption capacity of HMs such as Ni⁺², Zn⁺², Cr⁺³, and Cu⁺² has been demonstrated in the present work. The mechanisms of sorption capacity of biochar (grapevine), biochar nanocomposite based on CoFe₂O_4, and ZIF-8 were explored using various concentrations of HM ions. The polluted water was passed through microfluidic channels, and the results indicate that the biochar effectively remediated HM ions, i.e., Ni⁺², Zn⁺², Cr⁺³ and Cu⁺². Using the XRF method, it was revealed that the HM ions were evenly distributed on the sorbent surface. The considered sorbents efficiently worked as an adsorbent for removal of HM ions. The obtained results made it possible to determine the adsorption of metal ions, considering the saturation time of the sorbents using microfluidic system at low cost and with precision to detect and eliminate pollutants.