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Adsorption of ammonium in aqueous solutions by pine sawdust and wheat straw biochars

  • Environmental functions of biochar
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Abstract

Ammonium (NH4 +) is a common form of reactive nitrogen in wastewater, and its discharge to water bodies can lead to eutrophication. This study was conducted to understand NH4 + adsorption mechanisms of pine sawdust and wheat straw biochars in aqueous solutions and the factors affecting NH4 + removal. Biochars were produced by pyrolysing pine sawdust at 300 °C (PS300) and 550 °C (PS550) and wheat straw at 550 °C (WS550). Pseudo-second-order and Redlich-Peterson models best fitted the adsorption data. The PS300 showed the highest NH4 + adsorption capacity (5.38 mg g−1), followed by PS550 (3.37 mg g−1) and WS550 (2.08 mg g−1). Higher H/C and O/C ratios of PS300 (0.78 and 0.32, respectively) indicated the greater presence of functional groups on the biochar’s surface as compared to PS550 (0.35 and 0.10, respectively) and WS550 (0.36 and 0.08, respectively), resulting in different NH4 + adsorption through electrostatic interactions. The dominant mechanism for NH4 + adsorption by the biochars was likely chemical bonding and electrostatic interaction of NH4 + with the surface functional groups. Lower pyrolysis temperature resulted in a higher NH4 + adsorption capacity by the pine sawdust biochar. At the same pyrolysis temperature (550 °C), the biochar made with pine sawdust as the feedstock had a higher NH4 + adsorption capacity than biochar made from wheat straw. We conclude that biochars can be efficient absorbents for NH4 + removal from wastewater, and the removal efficiency can be optimised by selecting different feedstocks or the pyrolysis condition for biochar production.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted with financial support from an NSERC CREATE Grant that supported the Land Reclamation International Graduate School (LRIGS) and partially supported by an NSERC Discovery grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 442 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, Canada

    Hye In Yang, Kangyi Lou & Scott X. Chang

  2. Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea

    Hye In Yang

  3. Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Nugegoda, 10250, Sri Lanka

    Anushka Upamali Rajapaksha

  4. Korea Biochar Research Center & School of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea

    Yong Sik Ok

  5. Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Portfolio, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1N 5A2, Canada

    Anthony O. Anyia

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  1. Hye In Yang
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Correspondence to Scott X. Chang.

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Yang, H.I., Lou, K., Rajapaksha, A.U. et al. Adsorption of ammonium in aqueous solutions by pine sawdust and wheat straw biochars. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 25638–25647 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8551-2

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