Application of Biochar for Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Due to the increased progress in the industrial activities, considerable quantities of inorganic (such heavy metals Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, As²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, As³⁺, Cr⁷⁺, etc.) and organic (such as dyes, antibiotics, phenols, etc.) materials resulted as effluents. The discharge of these pollutants without proper management will cause a serious threat on the surrounding environment. Moreover, the accumulation of these contaminants in the waterway becomes a health threat as they are toxic, recalcitrant, mutagenic, and carcinogenic. Therefore, it is very necessary to exploit new adsorbents for efficient recovery of clean water. Activated biochar is derived from biomass by-products via thermal pyrolysis followed by activation step. The resulted biochar will own superior physical and chemical properties, which include high porosity, large surface area, enhanced surface properties, and excellent adsorptive performance toward the pollutants. These properties make the activated biochar excellent adsorbent that can be applied for water remediation.