Simultaneous removal of phosphate and tetracycline using LaFeO3 functionalised magnetic biochar by obtained ultrasound-assisted sol-gel pyrolysis: Mechanisms and characterisation

Excessive phosphate and tetracycline (TC) contaminants pose a serious risk to human health and the ecological environment. As such exploring the simultaneous adsorption of phosphate and TC is garnering increasing attention. In this study, an efficient lanthanum ferrate magnetic biochar (FLBC) was synthesised from crab shells using an ultrasound-assisted sol-gel method to study its performance and mechanisms for phosphate and TC adsorption in aqueous solutions in mono/bis systems. According to the Langmuir model, the developed exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 65.62 mg/g for phosphate and 234.1 mg/g for TC (pH:7.0 ± 0.1, and 25 °C). Further, it exhibited high resistance to interference and pH suitability. In practical swine wastewater applications, whereby the concentrations of phosphate and TC are 37 and 19.97 mg/L, respectively, the proposed material demonstrated excellent performance. In addition, electrostatic adsorption, chemical precipitation and ligand exchange were noted to be the main mechanisms for phosphate adsorption by FLBC, whereas hydrogen bonding and π-π interaction were the main adsorption mechanisms for TC adsorption. Therefore, this study successfully prepared a novel and efficient adsorbent for phosphate and TC.

Enhancing fluoride removal from wastewater using Al/Y amended sludge biochar

This study explored the potential of utilizing aluminum and yttrium amended (Al/Y amended) sewage sludge biochar (Al/Y-CSBC) for efficient fluoride removal from wastewater. The adsorption kinetics of fluoride on bimetallic modified Al/Y-CSBC followed the pseudo-second-order model, while the adsorption isotherm conformed to the Freundlich equation. Remarkably, the material exhibited excellent fluoride removal performance over a wide pH range, achieving a maximum adsorption capacity of 62.44 mg·g-1. Moreover, Al/Y-CSBC demonstrated exceptional reusability, maintaining 95% removal efficiency even after six regeneration cycles. The fluoride adsorption mechanism involved ion exchange, surface complexation, and electrostatic adsorption interactions. The activation and modification processes significantly increased the specific surface area of Al/Y-CSBC, leading to a high isoelectric point (pHpzc = 9.14). The incorporation of aluminum and yttrium metals exhibited a novel approach, enhancing the adsorption capacity for fluoride ions due to their strong affinity. Furthermore, the dispersing effect of biochar played a crucial role in improving defluoridation efficiency by enhancing accessibility to active sites. These findings substantiate the significant potential of Al/Y-CSBC for enhanced fluoride removal from wastewater.

Degradation of oxytetracycline by iron-manganese modified industrial lignin-based biochar activated peroxy-disulfate: Pathway and mechanistic analysis

In this study, high-performance Fe-Mn-modified industrial lignin-based biochar (FMBC) was successfully prepared to facilitate the efficient degradation of oxytetracycline by its driven sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation process with 90% degradation within 30 min. The results showed that oxygenated functional groups (e. g. hydroxyl, carbonyl, etc.) in industrial lignin-based biochar, the synergistic effect of transition metals Fe and Mn, and defective structures were the active sites for activation of peroxy-disulfate. SO₄^·- produced during the degradation process assumed a key function. Significantly, 38 intermediates were innovatively proposed for the first time in the system, and oxytetracycline was degraded in 7 ways, including deamidation, demethylation, hydroxylation, secondary alcohol oxidation, ring opening, dehydration, and carbonylation. A new perspective on the application of industrial lignin in the advanced oxidative degradation of organic pollutants was provided by this study.

Efficient phosphate elimination from aqueous media by La/Fe bimetallic modified bentonite: Adsorption behavior and inner mechanism

Nowadays, eutrophication problem in surface waterbodies has attracted specific attention. Herein, we reported facile synthesis and application of La/Fe engineered bentonite (LFB) for efficient phosphate elimination. Results indicated that bimetallic modified LFB composite could achieve efficient phosphate removal at pH 2-6, and satisfactory selectivity was implied by stable phosphate capturing within the interference of competing species (Cl^-, NO₃^-, HCO₃^-, SO₄^2-, F^- and HA). Pseudo-second-order model could satisfactorily depict the kinetic behavior at different initial concentrations, indicating chemisorption of phosphate on LFB surface. Isotherm study suggested that phosphate adsorption behavior could be fitted well with Sips isotherm equation, indicating that both homogeneous monolayer adsorption and heterogeneous multilayer coverage of phosphate on LFB surface occurred within the investigated conditions. Adsorption thermodynamics implied the spontaneous and endothermic feature of phosphate loading on LFB composite. Characterization analysis confirmed successful La and Fe loading on bentonite, and electrostatic attraction and ligand exchange were the main adsorption mechanism. The high adsorption capacity, cost-effective feature and strong affinity towards phosphate demonstrated certain potential of as-prepared LFB composite for phosphate separation from eutrophic water.