Preparation of a Novel N-Doped Biochar from Agricultural Waste for Cu(Ⅱ) Removal: Insights into the Kinetic, Equilibrium, Adsorption Mechanisms and Economic Feasibility
5 affiliations
- 1Henan Vocational College of Water Conservancy and Environment, Zhengzhou, 450008, People’s Republic of China
- 2School of Safety Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, JiaoZuo, 454003, People’s Republic of China
- 3School of Smart Energy & Environment, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, People’s Republic of China
- 4Engineering Research Center for Biomass Conversion, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330047, Jiangxi, China
- 5Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
Abstract
In this study, a novel nitrogen (N)-doped biochar was successfully synthesized from rice husk through urea-assisted co-pyrolysis and utilized as an efficient adsorbent for Cu(Ⅱ) removal from aqueous solutions. A systematic investigation of pyrolysis temperature (600 ℃ vs 800 ℃) revealed their critical role in modulating the properties of the biochar. The N-doped biochar produced at 800 ℃ (NBC-800) demonstrated a maximum adsorption capacity of 53.8 mg·g −1 under optimal conditions (pH 5, adsorbent dose 2 g·L −1 , initial concentration 100 mg·L −1 , contact time 24 h), representing approximately a tenfold enhancement compared to the non-doped biochar (BC). Kinetics and isotherm studies indicated that the adsorption process adhered to the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, suggesting a chemisorption-dominated mechanism. Comprehensive characterization revealed that the enhanced performance was due to the synergistic effects of an increased specific surface area, a developed porous structure, and the introduction of N-containing functional groups (e.g., pyridinic-N, pyrrolic-N, graphitic N), which facilitated electrostatic attraction and surface complexation with Cu(Ⅱ). Furthermore, an economic analysis demonstrated that the cost of Cu(Ⅱ) removal using the synthesized N-doped biochar was significantly lower than that of commercial activated carbon, underscoring its economic feasibility for practical applications. Thus, this study not only presents a high-performance adsorbent derived from agricultural waste but also offers valuable mechanistic insights and economic justification for its potential application in the treatment of heavy metal-contaminated water.
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BibTeX
@article{guo2026preparation,
title = {{Preparation of a Novel N-Doped Biochar from Agricultural Waste for Cu(Ⅱ) Removal: Insights into the Kinetic, Equilibrium, Adsorption Mechanisms and Economic Feasibility}},
author = {Xuebai Guo and Cuixia Liu and Feihu Lu and Bohan Liu and Qi Zhang and Ting Zhou},
journal = {Water Air \& Soil Pollution},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1007/s11270-026-09592-0},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-026-09592-0},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Preparation of a Novel N-Doped Biochar from Agricultural Waste for Cu(Ⅱ) Removal: Insights into the Kinetic, Equilibrium, Adsorption Mechanisms and Economic Feasibility
AU - Xuebai Guo
AU - Cuixia Liu
AU - Feihu Lu
AU - Bohan Liu
AU - Qi Zhang
AU - Ting Zhou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/22
JO - Water Air & Soil Pollution
DO - 10.1007/s11270-026-09592-0
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-026-09592-0
AB - In this study, a novel nitrogen (N)-doped biochar was successfully synthesized from rice husk through urea-assisted co-pyrolysis and utilized as an efficient adsorbent for Cu(Ⅱ) removal from aqueous solutions. A systematic investigation of pyrolysis temperature (600 ℃ vs 800 ℃) revealed their critical role in modulating the properties of the biochar. The N-doped biochar produced at 800 ℃ (NBC-800) demonstrated a maximum adsorption capacity of 53.8 mg·g −1 under optimal conditions (pH 5, adsorbent dose 2 g·L −1 , initial concentration 100 mg·L −1 , contact time 24 h), representing approximately a tenfold enhancement compared to the non-doped biochar (BC). Kinetics and isotherm studies indicated that the adsorption process adhered to the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, suggesting a chemisorption-dominated mechanism. Comprehensive characterization revealed that the enhanced performance was due to the synergistic effects of an increased specific surface area, a developed porous structure, and the introduction of N-containing functional groups (e.g., pyridinic-N, pyrrolic-N, graphitic N), which facilitated electrostatic attraction and surface complexation with Cu(Ⅱ). Furthermore, an economic analysis demonstrated that the cost of Cu(Ⅱ) removal using the synthesized N-doped biochar was significantly lower than that of commercial activated carbon, underscoring its economic feasibility for practical applications. Thus, this study not only presents a high-performance adsorbent derived from agricultural waste but also offers valuable mechanistic insights and economic justification for its potential application in the treatment of heavy metal-contaminated water.
SN - 0049-6979
SN - 1573-2932
ER -