Unique Chemistry and Structure of Pyrolyzed Bovine Bone for Enhanced Aqueous Metals Adsorption

Abstract

Bone waste is a problematic slaughterhouse waste typically disposed of in landfills. The pyrolyzed product of this waste shows strong potential in mine and industrial waste water remediation and work is needed to identify chemical and structural parameters which drive performance. Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) was used to probe carbonate (CO32−), phosphate (PO43−) and hydroxyl (OH−) environments of mineral phases and functional group chemistry in carbonaceous phase, revealing a potentially synergistic functionality between the two in bone char. CO32− and water substitutions in the mineral lattice were found to persist after pyrolysis to 750 °C, and more soluble non-apatite calcium phosphate phases were observed using second derivative analysis of the v3 PO43− band. Nitrogen-rich functional groups were found in the carbonaceous phase which are associated with complexation of aqueous metals, and ordered aromatic clusters identified by Raman spectroscopy indicate a porous carbon skeletal structure to promote metals adsorption and complexation. These results point to unique chemical and structural features of bone char which are not easily replicated by synthetic carbonated apatite or activated carbon and which contribute to the excellent aqueous metals removal power of bone char. Graphical Abstract

Synthesis of eco-friendly ZnO-based heterophotocatalysts with enhanced properties under visible light in the degradation of organic pollutants

“…Cow bones that are predominant in hydroxyapatite (referred to as Apatite) have been used for wastewater treatment (Muretta et al 2022). The adsorptive properties of bone char derived from cow bones have been tested in various wastewater treatments and proven to be effective (Muretta et al 2022).…”

“…Cow bones that are predominant in hydroxyapatite (referred to as Apatite) have been used for wastewater treatment (Muretta et al 2022). The adsorptive properties of bone char derived from cow bones have been tested in various wastewater treatments and proven to be effective (Muretta et al 2022). The greener application to produce heterogeneous catalysis and its calcium, phosphate, and filler have been made to improve the conventional method (Hart and Aliu 2022).…”