Adsorption of nitrate from aqueous solution by biochar and Fe–coated biochar

Document Type : Research/Original/Regular Article

Authors

1 M.Sc.,/Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Sari University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources, ‌Sari, Iran

2 Associate Professor/ Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Sari University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources,‌ Sari, Iran

3 Assistant Professor/ Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Sari University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources, Sari, Iran

4 Professor/ Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Sari University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources, Sari, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Nitrate pollution in groundwater and drinking water reservoirs has increased alarmingly in different parts of the world. The high concentration of nitrate in surface and groundwaters is due to the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and improper disposal of wastes caused by human activities and animal manure. Due to its high mobility, nitrate anion is easily washed from the soil and enters the surface and groundwaters. If the concentration of nitrate exceeds the limit (50 mg l-1), it causes the disease of children with methemoglobinemia, as well as the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines. Various methods have been proposed to remove nitrate. These methods besides having side effects on water, are not economically viable. In recent years, the development of effective technologies for keeping nitrates in the soil has received much attention. Adding biochar to the soil is one of the effective ways to reduce nitrate leaching. Biochar is a carbon-rich and porous substance, that is produced by heating biomass such as organic waste, animal manure, plant residues, sewage sludge, wood, etc. in limited or oxygen-free conditions. Due to its high specific surface area, high porosity, and diverse functional groups, biochar increases the water retention capacity, cation exchange capacity, and surface absorption capacity after adding it to the soil. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the effect of biochar and biochar coated with trivalent iron on the amount of nitrate absorption from aqueous solution.
 
Materials and Methods
Biochar can be produced from materials with low economic value and is a suitable and inexpensive adsorbent for nitrate removal from water sources. According to the studies conducted for biochar production, the temperature and duration of storage in the furnace are the most important factors controlling the quality and strength of biochar in nitrate removal. In this research, four types of rice straw, rice husk, sugarcane bagasse, and dicer wood chips were used to produce biochars. First, the samples were passed through a 2 mm sieve and dried in an oven at 70°C for 24 h. Then they were converted to biochar for 3 h at 300 and 600°C in an electric furnace under oxygen-free conditions. To determine the best adsorbent with maximum nitrate absorption, 0.5 gr of each adsorbent was weighed and poured into a 50 ml centrifuge tube. Then, it was contacted at a constant time (60 min) at an initial concentration of 50 mg l-1 of nitrate solution. After determining the best adsorbent, kinetic experiments were done to determine the equilibrium time, optimum pH, and adsorbent dosage. The adsorption isotherms were conducted for soil, rice husk 300˚C (RSB 300), and Fe-coated RSB 300.
 
Results and Discussion
The results showed that among the eight types of biochar produced at two temperature conditions of 300 and 600 ˚C, RSB 300, with the initial concentration of nitrate solution of 50 mg l-1 and contact time of 60 min, had the most amount of nitrate absorption. The kinetic experiments were continued on this type of biochar. The kinetic experiment results showed adsorption nitrate with an initial concentration of 50 mg l-1 an equilibrium time of 90 min, pH 7, and an adsorbent dosage of 1.25 g l-1 was 23580 mg kg-1. The result of the adsorption isotherms study showed that the adsorption of nitrate on RSB and Fe-coated RSB were fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model. This result indicates the uniform or single-layer distribution of active sites on the absorbent surface. The maximum adsorption capacity of nitrate by RSB and Fe-coated RSB were 38.16 and 43.66 mg g-1, respectively.
 
Conclusion
The use of cheap absorbents can be a suitable solution for removing environmental pollution. In general, biochar can absorb pollutants and nutrients by its potential physicochemical properties, including high specific surface area, high porosity, high cation and anion exchange capacity, high surface charge density, low volume mass, and the presence of functional groups. The results showed that among the eight types of biochar tested, RSB with the initial concentration of nitrate solution of 50 mg l-1 and contact time of 60 min, had the highest absorption rate. The optimal conditions for nitrate absorption are estimated at 90 min of contact time, pH 7, and adsorbent dosage of 1.25 g l-1. The results showed that wastewater treatment by surface absorption process using biochar produced from vegetable waste is a very useful and effective method. Besides, the results of isotherm adsorption on the nitrate adsorption test data by biochar produced from RSB and Biochar Fe-coated RSB showed that nitrate adsorption on these adsorbents according to its correlation coefficient (R2=0.994) is consistent with the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum absorption capacity RSB is 38.16 mg l-1, which is more absorbable than other studies. Now, when the above biochar was coated with Fe, the maximum nitrate absorption capacity increased by 43.66 mg g-1, which is a very high absorption. It can be concluded that RSB, especially when it has a Fe-coating, is a suitable adsorbent for removing nitrate from water. Therefore, it is suggested to investigate the effect of biochar covered with different cations on the mobility of other pollutants that are in anionic form.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

References
Afkhami, A., Madrakian, T., & Karimi, Z. (2007). The effect of acid treatment of carbon cloth on the adsorption of nitrite and nitrate ions. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 144, 427-431. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2006.10.062.
     Ahmad, M., Rajapaksha, A.U., Lim, J.E., Zhang, M.,      Bolan N., Mohan, D., Vithanage, M., Lee, S.S., & Ok, Y.S. (2014). Biochar as a sorbent for   contaminant management in soil and water. Chemosphere, 99, 19-33.  doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere
Alagha, O., Manzar, M.S., Zubair, M., Anil, I., Muazu, N.D., & Qureshi, A. (2020). Comparative adsorptive removal of phosphate and nitrate from wastewater using biochar-MgAl LDH nanocomposites: Coexisting anions effect and mechanistic studies. Nanomatrials, 10, 336. doi: 10.3390/nano10020336
Archna, S.K., & Sobti, R.H. (2012). Nitrate removal from ground water. Journal of Chemistry, 9(4), 1667- 1675. doi: 10.1155/2012/154616
Asada, T., Ishihara, S., Yamane, T.T., Toba, A.A., Yamada, A., & Oikawa, K. (2002). Scienc of bamboo charcoal:study on carbonizing temperature of bamboo charcoal and removal capability or harmrul gases. Journal of Health Science, 48, 473-479. doi: 10.1248/jhs.48.473
Beck, D.A. Johnson, G. R., & Spolek,  G.A. (2011). Amending greenroof soil with biochar to affect runoff water quantity and quality. Environmental Pollution, 159, 2111-2118. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.01.022
Benham, B., Haering, K., Ling, E.J & Scott, J.P. (2011). Virinia household water quality program:nitrate in household water. Virginia Cooperative Extension, 442-659.
Bhatnagar, A., & Sillanpaa, M. (2011). A review of emerging adsorbents for nitrate removal from water. Journal of Chemical Engineering, 168, 493-504. doi: 10.1016/j.cej.2011.01.103
Chandra, S., Medha, I., & Bhattacharya, J. (2020). Potassium-iron rice straw biochar composite for sorption of nitrate, phosphate, and ammonium ions in soil for timely and controlled release. Science of the Total Environment, 712, 136337. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136337
Chen, X., Chen, G., Chen, L., Chen, Y., Lehmann, J., McBride, B.M., & Hay, A.G. (2011). Adsorption of copper and zinc by biochars produced from pyrolysis of hardwood and corn straw in aqueous solution. Bioresource Technology, 102, 8877-8884. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2011.06.078
Dempster, D., Jones, D., & Murphy, D. (2012). Clay and biochar amendments decreased inorganic but not dissolved organic nitrogen leaching in soil. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 50, 216-221. doi:10.1071/SR11316
Fallah Tolekolai, S., Bahmanyar, M.A. & Sadeghzadeh, F. (2015). The effect of applying municipal soild waste compost and boichar on yield and concentration of some macro and micro nutrients in rice plant. MSc thesis, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University. [In persian]
Fang, S.J., Ruzybayev, I., Shah,I., & Huang, C.P. (2016). The electrochemical reduction of nitrate over micro-architecturedmetal electrodes with stainless steel scaffold. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 180, 199-209. doi:10.1016
/j.apcatb.2015.06.028
Fidel, R.B., Laird, D.A., & Spokas, K.A. (2018). Sorption of ammonium and nitrate to biochars is electrostatic and pH-dependent. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 17627. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35534-w
Hafshejani, L.D., Hooshmand, A., Naseri, A.A., Mohammadi, A.S., Abbasi, F., & Bhatnagar, A. (2016). Removal of nitrate from aqueous solution by modified sugarcane bagasse biochar. Ecological Engineering, 95, 101–111. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.06.035
Harvey, O.R., Herbert, B.E., Rhue, R.D., & Kua, L. (2011). Metal interactions at the biochar-water interface:energetics and structure-sorption relationships elucidated by flow adsorption microcalorimetry. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 45, 5550-5556. doi: 10.1021/es104401h
Hu, Q., Chen, N., Feng, C., & Hu, W.W. (2015). Nitrate adsorption from aqueous solution using granular chitosan-Fe3+ complex. Journal of applied surface science, 374, 1-9. doi: 10.2175/106143012x13418552642047
Huang, W., Li, M., Zhang,B., Feng, C., Lei, X., & Xu, B. (2013). Influence of operating conditions on electrochemical reduction of nitrate in groundwater, Water Environment, 85, 224–231. doi:10.1016/J.CEJ.2019.122375
Huang, Y., Lee, X., Grattieri, M., Yuan, M., Cai, R., Macazo, F.C., & Minteer, S.D., (2020). Modified biochar for phosphate adsorption in environmentally relevant conditions. Chemical Enineering Journal, 380, 122375. doi:10.1016/J.CEJ.2019.122375
Jensen, V.B., Darby, J.L., Seidel, C., & Gorman, C. (2012). Drinking Water Treatment for Nitrate. Technical Report, 6, 1-182.
Joseph S.D., Camps-Arbestain M., Lin Y., Munroe P., Chia C.H., Hook J.,  van Zwieten L., Kimber S., Cowie A., Singh B. P., Lehmann J., Foidl N., Smernik R. J., and Amonette J. E. (2010). An investigation into the reactions of biochar in soil. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 48, 501-515. doi:10.1071/SR10009
Katal, R., Baei, M.S, Rahmati, H.T., & Esfandian, H. (2012). Kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic study of nitrate adsorption from aqueous solution using modified rice husk. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 18, 295–302. doi: 10.1016/j.jiec.2011.11.035
Kameyama, S., Miyamoto, K., Shiono, T., & Shinogi, T.Y. (2012). Influence of sugarcane bagasse-derived Biochar application on nitrate leaching in calcaric dark red soil. Journal of Soil Science Society of America, 41, 1131-1137. doi:10.2134/jeq2010.0453
Kasozi, G. N., Zimmerman, N. R., Nkedi-kizza, P & Gao, B. (2010). Catechol and humic acid sorption onto a range of laboratory- produced black carbons (Biochars). Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 44, 6189-6195.  doi:10.1021/es1014423
Keeney, D.R., & Nelson, D.W. (1982). N-inorganic forms Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 2. Eds. A L Page. R H Miller and D R Keeney. Agronomy. 9. pp 643-698.
Khani, A., & Mirzaei, M. (2008). Comparative study of nitrate removal from aqueous solution using powder activated carbon and carbon nanotubes. russia, 2nd international IUPAC Conference on Green Chemistry: pp. 14-19.
Kilpimaa, S., Runtti, H., Kangas, T., Lassi,, U., & Kuokkanen, T. (2015). Physical activation of carbon residue from biomass gasification: Novel sorbent for the removal of phosphates and nitrates from aqueous solution. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 21, 1354-1364. doi:10.1016/j.jiec.2014.06.006
Kim, W.K., Shim, T., Kim, Y.S., Hyun, S., Ryu, C., Park, Y.K., & Jung, J. (2013). characterization of cadmium removal from aqueous solution by biochar produced from a giant Miscanthus at different pyrolytic temperatures. Bioresource Technology, 138, 266-270. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2013.03.186
Kumar, S., Masto, R.E., Ram, L.C., Sarkar, P., George, J., & Selvi V.A. (2013). Biochar preparation from Parthenium hysterophorus and its potential use in soil application. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 55, 67-72. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.02.011
Lehmann, J., DaSilva, J.P., Steiner, C., Nehls, T. Zech, W., & Glaser, B. (2003). Nutrient availability and leaching in an archaeological Anthrosol and a Ferralsol of the Central Amazon basin: fertilizer, manure and charcoal amendments. Plant and Soil, 249, 343-357. doi:10.1023/A:1022833116184
Lehman, J., & Joseph, S. (2009). Biochar for environmental management. science and technology. Earthscan Publishes, 416 pages.
Lee, J., Sarmah, A.K. & Kwon, E.E. (2019). Chapter 1—production and formation of biochar. In: Ok, Y.S., Tsang, D.C.W., Bolan, N., & Novak, J.M. (Eds.), Biochar from Biomass and Waste. Elsevier, pp. 3–18. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-811729-3.00001-7
Marcinczyk, M., & Oleszczuk, P. (2022). Biochar and engineered biochar as slow- and controlled-release fertilizers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 339, 130685. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130685
Mohan, D., Sharma, R., Singh V.K., Steele, P., & Pittman, C.U. (2011). Fluoride removal from water using bio-char, a green waste, low-cost adsorbent: equilibrium uptake and sorption dynamics modeling. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research – American, 51, 900-914. doi:10.1021/ie202189v
Mohan, D., Sarswat, A., Ok, Y.S. & Pittman, C.U. (2014). Organic and inorganic contaminants removal from water with biochar, a renewable, low cost and sustainable adsorbent – a critical review. Bioresour Technol, 160, 191–202. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2014.01.120
Mohammadi, H., Yazdanbakhsh, A.R., Sheykh Mohammadi, A., Bonyadinejad, GH. R., Alinejad, A.A., & ghanbari, GH. (2011). Investigation of nitrite and nitrate in drinking water of regions under surveillance of Shahid Beheshti University of medical sciences in Tehran Province, Iran. Journal of Health System Research, 7(6), 782-789 [in Persian]
Nabi Bidhendi, G.R., Nasrabadi, T., Sharif Vaghefi, H. R., & Hoveidi, H. (2006). Biological nitrate removal from water resources. Journal of Environmental Science Technology, 3, 281-287. doi:org/10.1007/BF03325935
Nabizadeh, S., Sadeghzadeh, F., Jalili, B., & Emadi M. (2018). Adsorption of methylene blue using biochar from aqueous solutions. Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research, 49(1), 51-57. doi: 10.22059/ijswr.2018.212516.66711. [in Persian]
Nobaharan, K., Bagheri, N.S., Asgari, L.B. & Hullebusch, E.D. (2021). Phosphorus removal from wastewater: the potential use of Biochar and the key controlling factors, Review. water, 13(4), 517. doi.org/10.3390/w13040517
Ogata, F., Imai, D., & Kawasak, N. (2015). Adsorption of nitrate and nitrite ions onto carbonaceous material produced from soybean in a binary solution system. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 3, 155-161. doi:10.1016/j.jece.2014.11.025
Ozturk, N., & Bektas, T.E. (2004). Nitrate removal from aqueous solution by adsorption onto various materials. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 112, 155-162. doi:10.1016/
j.jhazmat.2004.05.001
Phan, P.T., Nguyen, T.A., Nguyen, N.H., & Nguyen, T.T. (2020). Modelling approach to nitrate adsorption on triamine-bearing activated rice husk ash. Engineering and Applied Science Research, 47(2), 190-197. doi:10.14456/easr.2020.21
Samsuri, W.A., Sadeghzadeh, F., & Shebardden, J.B. (2013). Adsorption of as (III) and as (V) by Fe-coated biochars and biochars produced from empty fruit bunch and rice husk. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 1, 981-988. doi:10.1016/j.jece.2013.08.009 
Shafie, S., Salleh, M., Hang, L.L., Rahman, M., & Ghani, W. (2012). Effect of pyrolysis temperature on the biochar nutrient and water retention capacity. Journal of Purity, Utility Reaction and Environment, 1(6), 293-307. doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2022.105728
Shakoor, M.B., Ye, Z.L., & Chen, S. (2021). Engineered biochars for recovering phosphate and ammonium from wastewater: A review. Science of the Total Environment,779, 146240. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146240
Sharma, S.K., & Sobti, R.h. (2012). Nitrate removal from ground water. Journal of Chemistry, 9, 1667-1675. doi:10.1155/2012/154616
Singh, B., Singh, B.P., & Cowie, A.L. (2010). Characterisation and evaluation of biochars for their application as a soil amendment. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 48(7), 516-525. doi:org/10.1071/SR10058
Song, W. & Guo, M. (2012). Quality variation of poultry litter biochar generated at different pyrolysis temperatures. Journal of Analytical Applied Pyrolysis, 94, 138-145. doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2011.11.018
Song, K., Suenaga, T., Harper, W.F., Hori, T., Riya, S., Hosomi, M., & Terada, A. (2015). Effects of aeration and internal recycle flow on nitrous oxide emissions from a modified Ludzak-Ettinger process fed with glycerol. Environment Science Pollution Research, 22 (24), 19562–19570 . doi: 10.1007/s11356-015-5129-8
Sun, L., Wan, S. & Luo, W. (2013). Biochars prepared from anaerobic digestion residue, palm bark, and eucalyptus for adsorption of cationic methylene blue dye: Characterization, equilibrium, and kinetic studies. Bioresources Technology, 140, 406-13. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.04.116
Tan, X., Liu, Y., Zeng, G., Wang X., Hu, X., & Gu, Y., & Yang, Z. (2015). Application of biochar for the removal of pollutants from aqueous solutions. Journal of Chemosphere, 125, 70-147. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.12.058  
USDA., & NRCS. (2007). Statistix 8 user guider for the plant material program, version, 2, 1-8.
Wang, Y., Gao, B., Yue, W.W., & Yue, Q.Y. (2007). Adsorption kinetics of nitrate from aqueous solutions onto modified wheat residue. Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 308, 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.
2007.05.014
Wang, B., Lehmann, J., Hanley, K., Hestrin, R., & Enders A. (2015a). Adsorption and desorption of ammonium by maple wood biochar as a function of oxidation and pH. Chemosphere, 138, 120-126. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.
2015.05.062
Wang, Z., Guo H., Shen F., Yang, G., Zhang, Y., Zeng Y., Wang, L., Xiao, H., & Deng, S. (2015b). Biochar produced from oak sawdust by Lanthanum (La)-involved pyrolysis for adsorption of ammonium (NH4+ ), nitrate (NO3-), and phosphate (PO43-). Chemosphere, 119, 646–653. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.
2014.07.084.
WHO. (2004). Guidelines for drinking water quality. World Health Organization, 1(3),417-420
Xu, G., Lv, Y., Sun, J., Shao, H., & Wei, L. (2012). Recent advances in biochar applications in agricultural soils: benefits and environmental implications. Clean – Soil, Air, Water, 40, 1093-1098. doi:10.1002/clen.201100738
Yadava, A.K., Abbassia, R., Guptac A., & Dadashzad, A. (2013). Removal of fluoride from aqueous solution and groundwater by wheat straw, sawdust and activated bagasse carbon of sugarcane. Ecological Engineering, 52, 211-218. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2012.
12.069
Yao, Y., Gao, B., Zhang M., Inyan M.,. & Zimmerman, A. (2012). Effect of biochar amendment on sorption and leaching of nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate in a sandy soil. Chemosphere, 89, 1467-147. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.06.002
Yekzaban, A., Moosavi, A.A., Sameni, A., & Rezaei, M. (2023). Effect of palm leaf and lemon peel biochar on some physical and mechanical properties of a sandy loam soil. Water and Soil Management and Modeling, 3(1), 69-83. doi: 10.22098/MMWS.2022.11264.1111. [In Persian]
Yin, Q., Ren, H., Wang, R., & Zhao, Z. (2018a). Evaluation of nitrate and phosphate adsorption on Al-modified biochar: influence of Al content. Science of the Total Environment, 631–632, 895–903. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.091
Yin, Q., Wang, R., & Zhao, Z. (2018b). Application of Mg–Al-modified biochar for simultaneous removal of ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate from eutrophic water. Jornal of Cleaner Production, 176, 230–240. doi:10.1016/j.
jclepro.2017.12.117
Zhang, M., Song, G., Gelardi, D.L., Huang, L., Khan, E., Maˇsek, O., Parikh, S.J., & Ok, Y.S., (2020). Evaluating biochar and its modifications for the removal of ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate in water. Water Research, 186, 116303. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2020.116303
Water and Soil Management and Modelling
Volume 4, Issue 1
January 2024
Pages 70-84

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 11 January 2023
  • Revise Date: 02 February 2023
  • Accept Date: 07 February 2023

Share

How to cite

Statistics