No abstract

Heavy metal pollution is a pressing problem: owing to the emission of industrial three waste gas, wastewater and waste residue, emission of automobile exhaust gas, sewage irrigation, use of pesticides, use of herbicide, application of chemical fertiliser, development of the mining industry, the soil, water and atmosphere are severely polluted by heavy metal ions [1,2]. Cadmium, lead and copper are the most common pollutant elements in wastewater and can cause significant problems [3]. Heavy metal ions in wastewater cannot be biodegraded but accumulate to either directly or indirectly threaten living beings, including humans [4,5]. Cadmium in the human body can cause hypertension, cardiocerebral vascular diseases, destruction of bones, liver, kidney or renal failure [6]. Lead can directly injure the human

No abstract

The adsorption capacity of cadmium ions by pine sawdust biomass and biochar was evaluated in batch experiments. Pine sawdust biochars were pyrolyzed at 500 °C and 700 °C and obtained in the absence of oxygen. The adsorption capacity of biochar was higher than the raw biomass (3.47 mg/g). Biochars produced at 700 °C showed better adsorption efficiency (6.09 mg/g) than that produced at 500 °C (4.78 mg/g). Also, the adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms were studied. The adsorption behavior of cadmium by pine sawdust biomass and biochar fitted Langmuir isotherms and pseudo-second order kinetics. In addition, the desorption experiment by different solutions (neutral, acidic, and alkaline) were conducted. The desorption of cadmium ions in neutral and alkaline environments was not obvious, while the desorption in an acidic environment was. Pine sawdust biochar, pyrolyzed at 700 °C, is a potential adsorbent for cadmium removal in neutral and alkaline environments.

No abstract