High-efficiency remediation of cadmium (Cd²⁺) from aqueous solution using poultry manure– and farmyard manure–derived biochars

ABSTRACT

Farmyard manure (FYM-BC) and poultry manure (PM-BC) derived biochars were applied as adsorbents to remove Cd²⁺ from water. Results indicated that PM-BC was a more efficient adsorbent than FYM-BC at all experimental conditions. Maximum Cd²⁺ adsorption was observed at pH 4, temperature 318 K and contact time 1 h, regardless of biochar type. The Langmuir model predicted maximum adsorption capacity of 90.09 mg g⁻¹ for PM-BC. The data fitting to pseudo-second-order model proposed chemisorption of Cd²⁺ onto biochars. Thermodynamics indicated that adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic. Post-adsorption analysis provided evidences of strong chemical interactions between biochars’ functional groups and Cd²⁺ ions.

KEYWORDS:

• Adsorption
• separation
• kinetics
• thermodynamics
• removal efficiency
• animal waste

Acknowledgements

Research assistance from Department of Soil Science and Soil Water Conservation, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, is thankfully acknowledged.

Funding

This research is supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (3102015BJ(II)JGZ026).

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (3102015BJ(II)JGZ026).