Remarkable synergy between sawdust biochar and attapulgite/diatomite after co-ball milling to adsorb methylene blue
Fei Jiang, Feiyue Li, Andrew R. Zimmerman, Zhongpu Yu, Licheng Ji, Chengcheng Wei, Xueyang Zhang, Bin Gao
Abstract
at adsorption equilibrium, respectively. These improvements can be owing to the greater content of oxygen-containing functional groups and higher cation exchange capacity of the MABC10% and MDBC10% composites. In addition, the characterization results also reveal that pore filling, π-π stacking interactions, hydrogen bonding of hydrophilic functional groups, and electrostatic adsorption of oxygen-containing functional groups also contribute prominently to the adsorption of MB. This, along with the greater MB adsorption at higher pH and ionic strengths, suggests the roles in MB adsorption was an electrostatic interaction and an ion exchange mechanism. These results demonstrate that mineral-biochar composites prepared by co-ball milling treatment were promising sorbents of ionic contaminants for environmental applications.