Synthesis and application of graphene oxide-coated biochar composite for treatment of strontium-containing solution

Removal of strontium was studied by an efficient sustainable and environmentally friendly nanocomposite, prepared from thermally activated and chemically modified sawdust coated with graphene oxide nanoparticle. The adsorbent used in this study efficiently removed strontium from synthetic aqueous solution. Batch study and fixed-bed column study were performed for optimizing the best suitable parameter for efficiently removing strontium from the experimental solution. The optimized adsorbent dose for the removal of strontium was found to be 2 mg/ml with adsorption capacity 4.09 mg/g that can remove 50 mg/L of strontium solution, which was better compared to other adsorbent doses. The removal of strontium was enhanced at neutral pH (6-8) and 313 K temperature. The column study suggested that the adsorbent can be efficiently used for longer time period. Thomas model was best suited for describing the breakthrough parameters for the column. The reusability of the adsorbent was also studied to make the whole process more economical and environmentally friendly. [GRAPHICS] .