REUTILIZATION OF WASTE AND DETOXIFICATION OF WASTEWATER: EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL APPLICATION OF BIOCHAR FOR THE REMOVAL OF EMERGING CONTAMINANTS AND PONTENTIALLY TOXIC METALS

Abstract

One of the most serious problems affecting the environment is the contamination caused by chemical, organic and inorganic compounds. In recent decades, several adsorbents have been developed to remove these wastewater contaminants such as clay, chitosan, lignin, algae, among others. However, often these adsorbents are not economically feasible and removal efficacy is limited to one metal or organic contaminant, making it infeasible in practice. It is therefore desirable to develop an inexpensive adsorbent that can remove multiple types of contaminants simultaneously effectively. In this context, this project is based on the evaluation of the performance of biochar and magnetic biochar as adsorbent material for removal of potentially toxic metals (Al, Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni and Zn) and emerging contaminants (bisphenol A and triclosan) in residual waters. To achieve this goal, biochars will be prepared from pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse and straw biomass corn cob at different temperatures (300, 400, 500 and 600 ° C). The characterization of the obtained biochars be performed using different analytical techniques such as, Py-GC / MS, SEM, EDS, XRD and NMR. The adsorption process will be assessed in terms of pH, contact time, concentration of the adsorbent / adsorbate, desorption capacity and thermodynamic factors. The concentration of inorganic and organic contaminants are feritas respectively by ICP-OES and GC-MS. Thus, this project aims to open a new perspective for reuse of agricultural waste and remediation of water contaminated by elements and substances that pose risks to the environment and public health, using biochar. (AU)