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Effect of vermiculite-modified biochar on carbon sequestration potential, mercury adsorption stability, and economics

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Abstract

Biochar has great potential for climate change mitigation and heavy metal pollution remediation, but is susceptible to aging and expensive to prepare. The aim of this study was to produce biochar materials with long-term stability and cost-effective for heavy metal removal. The physicochemical properties, stability, adsorption performance, and cost-effectiveness of biochar were compared using co-pyrolysis of rice husk (Oryza sativa L.), mulberry twigs (Morus alba L.), and reeds (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud) with vermiculite at 500 ℃. The results showed that minerals would cover the surface of the biochar while carbothermal reduction reaction occurred to form a stable Si-C system, which enhanced the chemical, thermal, and biochar stability of vermiculite-modified biochar. Both vermiculite-modified biochar enhanced the adsorption capacity and adsorption stability of Hg, and the kinetic adsorption characteristics of Hg before and after biochar modification were consistent with the quasi-secondary kinetic model, and the isothermal adsorption characteristics were more consistent with the Langmuir model. Vermiculite-modified mulberry twig biochar (W-SBC) had the highest removal efficiency (93.48%) due to its large specific surface area and pore structure, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 67.551 mg·g−1, and adsorption was dominated by the complexation of -OH and C = O. Economic analysis showed that vermiculite-modified rice husk biochar (W-DBC) had the highest cost-effectiveness with a removal cost of 1.51 USD·g−1 Hg. By weighing carbon stability and cost-effectiveness, W-DBC can be used as a cost-effective material to enhance the potential of carbon sequestration and application for Hg pollution remediation.

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Data from this study is available on request from the corresponding author.

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Funding

This research was funded by the funding project of Northeast Geological S&T Innovation Center of China Geological Survey (NO. QCJJ2022-25).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environment, Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110044, China

    Zhirong Ma, Dongmei Zheng, Bing Liang & Huiying Li

  2. Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Ecological Remediation of Regional Polluted Environments, Shenyang University, Shenyang, 110044, China

    Zhirong Ma & Bing Liang

  3. Northeast Geoscience and Technology Innovation Center, Shenyang, 110034, China

    Dongmei Zheng

  4. Key Laboratory of Black Soil Evolution and Ecological Effect, Shenyang, 110034, Liaoning Province, China

    Dongmei Zheng

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  1. Zhirong Ma
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Z. M.: conceptualization, data curation, investigation, methodology, writing (original draft); D. Z.: supervision, writing—review and editing; B. L.: visualization; H. L.: methodology. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dongmei Zheng.

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Ma, Z., Zheng, D., Liang, B. et al. Effect of vermiculite-modified biochar on carbon sequestration potential, mercury adsorption stability, and economics. Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-024-05774-0

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