Role of oxygen-containing functional groups in forest fire-generated and pyrolytic chars for immobilization of copper and nickel.
Char as a carbon-rich material, can be produced under pyrolytic conditions, wildfires or prescribed burn offs for fire management. The objective of this study was to elucidate mechanistic interactions of copper (Cu2+) and nickel (Ni2+) with different chars produced by pyrolysis (green waste, GW; blue-Mallee, BM) and forest fires (fresh-burnt by prescribed fire, FC; aged char produced by wild fire, AC). The pyrolytic chars were more effective sorbents of Cu2+(∼11 times) and Ni2+(∼5 times) compared with the forest fire chars. Both cross-polarization (CPMAS-NMR) and Bloch decay (BDMAS-NMR)13C NMR spectroscopies showed that forest fire chars have higher woody components (aromatic functional groups) and lower polar groups (e.g. O-alkyl C) compared with the pyrolytic chars. The polarity index was greater in the pyrolytic chars (0.99-1.34) than in the fire-generated chars (0.98-1.15), while aromaticity was lower in the former than in the latter. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies indicated the binding of carbonate and phosphate with both Cu2+and Ni2+in all chars, but with a greater extent in pyrolytic than forest fire-generated chars. These findings have demonstrated the key role of char's oxygen-containing functional groups in determining their sorption capacity for the Cu2+and Ni2+in contaminated lands.
Australian Rivers Institute and School of Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia. Electronic address: m.esfandbod@griffith.edu.au.
Maryam
M
Esfandbod
School of Natural Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia.
Christopher R
CR
Merritt
Australian Rivers Institute and School of Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia.
Mehran Rezaei
MR
Rashti
Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Balwant
B
Singh
Environmental Future Research Institute and School of Natural Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia.
Sue E
SE
Boyd
Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), University of Newcastle, ATC Building, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
Prashant
P
Srivastava
Environmental Future Research Institute and School of Natural Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia.
Christopher L
CL
Brown
Australian Rivers Institute and School of Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia.
Orpheus M
OM
Butler
CSIRO Land and Water, P.M.B. No. 2, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.
Rai S
RS
Kookana
Australian Rivers Institute and School of Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia. Electronic address: c.chen@griffith.edu.au.
Chengrong
C
Chen
D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*; D005390:Fires; D065928:Forests; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009532:Nickel / Q000737:chemistry*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D002244:Carbon; D003300:Copper; D009532:Nickel; D010100:Oxygen
(13)C NMR; FTIR; Forest fire-generated chars; Pyrolytic chars; Raman