Microwave-assisted pyrolysis derived biochar for volatile organic compounds treatment: Characteristics and adsorption performance

Wei Xiang; Xueyang Zhang; Chengcheng Cao; Guixiang Quan; Min Wang; Andrew R Zimmerman; Bin Gao

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127274

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis derived biochar for volatile organic compounds treatment: Characteristics and adsorption performance

Bioresour Technol. 2022 Jul:355:127274. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127274. Epub 2022 May 6.

Authors

Wei Xiang¹, Xueyang Zhang², Chengcheng Cao¹, Guixiang Quan³, Min Wang⁴, Andrew R Zimmerman⁵, Bin Gao⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Environmental Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou 221018, China.
² School of Environmental Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou 221018, China. Electronic address: zhaxuy@xzit.edu.cn.
³ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, China.
⁴ Xuzhou Environmental Monitoring Center of Jiangsu Province, Xuzhou 221018, China.
⁵ Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
⁶ Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.

PMID: 35533889
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127274

Abstract

Biochar derived from corn stalk doping with activated carbon was produced by microwave-assisted pyrolysis and applied to sorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs: benzene and o-xylene). Specific surface area (SSA), total pore volume (TPV) and micropore volume (MV) of microwave biochar increased with increasing microwave power with the maximum values 325.2 m²·g^-1, 0.181 mL·g^-1 and 0.1420 mL·g^-1, respectively. Adsorption capacities of benzene and o-xylene on microwave biochar ranged 6.82-54.75 mg·g^-1 and 7.43-48.73 mg·g^-1, which were separate positively related with SSA, TPV, and MV. Benzene adsorption was mainly dominated by surface interaction and partition mechanisms, while o-xylene adsorption was governed by pore filling. The adsorption capacities of microwave biochar for benzene and o-xylene decreased by only 0.30% and 0.99% on the 5th cycle that illustrated the reasonably good reusability of microwave biochar. The results of this research demonstrate that microwave biochar is a promising adsorbent for VOCs removal.

Keywords: Adsorption; Microwave biochar; Physicochemical properties; Volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Benzene
Charcoal
Microwaves
Pyrolysis*
Volatile Organic Compounds*

Substances

Volatile Organic Compounds
biochar
Charcoal
Benzene