Nano-engineered magnesium-enriched sugarcane bagasse for dual decontamination of heavy metals and E. coli in sewage water

Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is a fibrous lignocellulosic waste formed when sugarcane is crushed to extract juice for ethanol and sugar manufacture. The study's goal was to look at how chemical alteration affects the properties of SCB combined with Mg and how successful it is at removing three heavy metals including (Copper (Cu^2 +), Zinc (Zn²⁺), and Lead (Pb²⁺)) as well as Escherichia coli (E. coli) from contaminated wastewater. The chemical and physical characteristics of the biochar generated were investigated at temperatures of 600°C and 800°C using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyzer, thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) peak analysis, and energy dispersive X-ray (EDS). A batch sorption test was carried out to determine the ability of sugarcane bagasse biochar (SCBB) to adsorb Cu, Pb, and Zn from solution. The adsorption data were examined using the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The results indicate that the Langmuir isotherm model produced the best precise match. An accurate estimate for employing SCBB as a biosorbent material was used in sewage and industrial wastewater (contact time one hour, optimal dosage 800 ppm). The SCBB achieves maximum removal rates of 81.4, 83.5, and 89.2 % for biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total suspended solids (TSS), respectively. However, nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) reached 52.2 %, while total phosphorus (TP) reached 63.2 %. Pb, Zn, and Cu were completely removed. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of SCBB against E. coli was 600 mg/mL. E. coli is completely eradicated from wastewater using 800 mg/L of SCBB in one hour. The present study developed potent, cost-effective, ecofriendly and multifunctional adsorbent of MgO-modified SCBB for safely wastewater de-pollution as a promising environmental remediation technology.