title: Removal of arsenic by magnetic biochar prepared from pinewood and natural hematite.
abstract: There is a need for the development of low-cost adsorbents to removal arsenic (As) from aqueous solutions. In this work, a magnetic biochar was synthesized by pyrolyzing a mixture of naturally-occurring hematite mineral and pinewood biomass. The resulting biochar composite was characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS). In comparison to the unmodified biochar, the hematite modified biochar not only had stronger magnetic property but also showed much greater ability to remove As from aqueous solution, likely because the γ-Fe2O3 particles on the carbon surface served as sorption sites through electrostatic interactions. Because the magnetized biochar can be easily isolated and removed with external magnets, it can be used in various As contaminant removal applications.
authors.affiliation: Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL 33031, United States; Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Shengsen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States. Electronic address: bg55@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.affiliation: Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL 33031, United States; Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Yuncong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Willie G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL 33031, United States; Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Kati W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Migliaccio
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D001151:Arsenic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D059346:Magnets / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D028223:Pinus / Q000737:chemistry*; D055672:Static Electricity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014934:Wood / Q000737:chemistry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C540010:biochar; D002606:Charcoal; C000499:ferric oxide; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Arsenate; Biochar; Hematite; Nanocomposite; γ-Fe(2)O(3)