Towards a Circular Economy: Analysis of the Use of Biowaste as Biosorbent for the Removal of Heavy Metals

Abstract

Industrial human activity has led to the release of substantial amounts of heavy metals into the environment. Contamination of water with heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, copper, zinc, chromium, or nickel represents a serious problem. As part of the circular economy, it is appropriate to use biowaste from agriculture, fisheries, and the timber industry as biosorbents. In this literature review, the potential of using these biowaste groups as biosorbents for metal removal is presented. This biowaste is characterized by the presence of carboxyl, hydroxyl, carbonyl, amide, amine, sulfydryl, and other groups on their surface, which form complexes and chelates with metals present in water. Biosorption seems to be a potential alternative to conventional technologies for removing or recovering heavy metals from water or wastewater, which are uneconomical and generate additional waste. The paper demonstrates that harnessing the potential of biowaste to remove metals is beneficial to the environment as they can solve the problem of incineration and realise recycling that meets the circular economy. Although the choice of a suitable biosorbent for the removal of a particular metal involves a lot of research, the high biosorption efficiency, low cost, and renewability justify their use.

Polysaccharides Used in Biosorbents Preparation for Organic Dyes Retaining from Aqueous Media

“…Biomass. The yeasts of Saccharomyces pastorianus (Saccharomycetaceae family, hybrid between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces eubayanus [10]) are by-products in the brewing processes and therefore are available in large quantities in the form of residual yeast. At the end of the brewing process (Albrau, Onești, Romania), the Saccharomyces pastorianus residual biomass was separated by centrifugation (8000 rpm), dried at 80 °C, and then immobilized in sodium alginate.…”

“…Microbial-based biosorbents possess the ability to retain pollutants from wastewater due to a specific surface area and porosity but mostly to a high content of polysaccharides (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin, chitin), which contain numerous functional groups (carboxyl, hydroxyl, and carbonyl groups) capable of binding different compounds by forming chemical complexes or/and numerous ion exchanges [10].…”

Potential Use of Constructed Wetland Systems for Rural Sanitation and Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture in the Moroccan Context

“…A wide range of materials may be utilized as constructed wetlands filling including natural materials, which are the most common (e.g., gravel and sand), artificial materials (e.g., activated carbon and expanded clay), and agricultural/industrial wastes (e.g., slag and woodchip) [59]. Recycling wastes and treated wastewater represent an opportunity to integrate the CWs in resource recovery and circular economy [24,63,64].…”

Maize Stalk Obtained after Acid Treatment and Its Use for Simultaneous Removal of Cu2+, Pb2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Cr3+ and Fe3+

“…Biomaterials are a valuable alternative for the retention of metal ions and other organic compounds from effluents resulting from the painting and tannery process, respectively. Recently, several papers reported the capacity of bioadsorbents to remove heavy metals and other pollutants from polluted wastewater [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Biomaterials have been explored raw and after chemical modifications in order to enhance adsorption proprieties.…”