The Ce-modified biochar for efficient removal of methylene blue dye: Kinetics, isotherms and reusability studies

Exploring modification methods for enhancing the adsorption performance of biochar-based adsorbents for effective removal of methylene blue (MB), biochar-loaded CeO2 nanoparticles (Ce/BC) were synthesized by pomelo peels through co-precipitation combined with the pyrolysis method. Ce/BC showed a higher specific surface area and disorder degree than that of BC. The 0.5Ce/BC (mass ratio of Ce(NO3)3·6H2O/BC = 0.5/1) showed the best performance to adsorption of MB solution at different reaction conditions (MB concentration, Ce/BC composites dosage, and initial pH). Adsorption kinetics and equilibrium isotherms were well-described with a pseudo-first-order equation and Langmuir model, respectively. In addition, the maximum adsorption capacity of 0.5Ce/BC for MB was 105.68 mg·g−1 at 328 K. The strong adsorption was attributed to multi-interactions including pore filling, π-π interactions, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonding between the composites and MB. This work demonstrated that the modified pomelo peels biochar, as a green promising material with cost-effectiveness, exhibited a great potential for broad application prospectively to dyeing-contaminated wastewater treatment. © 2024 Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China (CIESC) and Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd. (CIP)