Efficient removal of Cd (II) from aqueous solution by chitosan modified kiwi branch biochar

Production of cost-efficient composite materials from low-cost modified biochar for the removal of Cd (II) from wastewater is much needed to meet the growing needs of industrial wastewater treatments. A novel chitosan-modified kiwi branch biochar (CHKB) was fabricated as low-cost modified biochar for the removal of Cd (II) from aqueous solution. Batch adsorption and characterization experiments indicated that the modification of kiwi biochar (KB) by chitosan remarkably improved its adsorption performance. The results revealed that the adsorption isotherms can be best described by a Langmuir model and that a pseudo-second-order model fits the Cd (II) adsorption kinetics well, which indicates that it is a monolayer process controlled by chemisorption. CHKB exhibited a Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity of Cd (II) (126.58 mg g−1), whereas that of KB was only 4.26 mg g−1. The adsorption ability of CHKB was improved by increasing the surface area and an abundance of surface functional groups (-OH, –NH, CO, etc.). The cation exchange, electrostatic interaction, surface complexation, and precipitation were the main mechanisms in the sorption of Cd (II) on CHKB. Excellent adsorption performance, low cost, and environmental-friendliness made CHKB a fantastic adsorbent for the removal of Cd (II) in wastewater.