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Comparative efficiency of peanut shell and peanut shell biochar for removal of arsenic from water

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Abstract

Contamination of surface water and groundwater streams with carcinogenic chemicals such as arsenic (As) has been a major environmental issue worldwide, and requires significant attention to develop new and low-cost sorbents to treat As-polluted water. In the current study, arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) removal efficiency of peanut shell biochar (PSB) was compared with peanut shell (PS) in aqueous solutions. Sorption experiments showed that PSB possessed relatively higher As removal efficiency than PS, with 95% As(III) (at pH 7.2) and 99% As(V) (at pH 6.2) with 0.6 g L−1 sorbent dose, 5 mg L−1 initial As concentration, and 2 h equilibrium time. Experimental data followed a pseudo-second-order model for sorption kinetics showing the dominance of chemical interactions (surface complexation) between As and surface functional groups. The Langmuir model for sorption isotherm indicated that As was sorbed via a monolayer sorption process. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses revealed that the hydroxyl (–OH) and aromatic surface functional (C=O, C=C–C, and –C–H) groups contributed significantly in the sorption of both As species from aqueous solutions through surface complexation and/or electrostatic reactions. We demonstrate that the pyrolysis of abandoned PS yields a novel, low-cost, and efficient biochar which provides dual benefits of As-rich water treatment and a value-added sustainable strategy for solid waste disposal.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Center of Nanotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for providing the analytical facility.

Funding

The study received financial support from the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan (Project No. 1430/SRGP/R&D/HEC/2016) and Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan. Dr Nabeel Khan Niazi is thankful to the University of Agriculture Faisalabad and University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan

    Muhammad Sohail Sattar, Muhammad Bilal Shakoor, Shafaqat Ali & Muhammad Rizwan

  2. Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan

    Nabeel Khan Niazi

  3. School of Civil Engineering and Surveying, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia

    Nabeel Khan Niazi

  4. Center of Nanotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    Asim Jilani

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  1. Muhammad Sohail Sattar
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  2. Muhammad Bilal Shakoor
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  3. Shafaqat Ali
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  4. Muhammad Rizwan
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  5. Nabeel Khan Niazi
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Correspondence to Muhammad Bilal Shakoor.

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Sattar, M.S., Shakoor, M.B., Ali, S. et al. Comparative efficiency of peanut shell and peanut shell biochar for removal of arsenic from water. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 18624–18635 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05185-z

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