Incorporating pristine biochar into metal-organic frameworks: Facile green synthesis, characterization, and wastewater remediation

Modification of pristine biochar (PBC) with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is essential for the enhancement of biochar properties for heavy metals cleanup from wastewater. The green solvent-free ball milling method was employed for the incorporation of PBC and MOFs. The incorporation was done at different mixing percentages of MOFs to biochar; 15 %, 25 %, and 50 %. The ball-milled PBC/MOFs were then characterized by BET, SEM-EDS, FTIR, XPS, and TGA-DSC analysis. The engineered PBC/MOF was tested for heavy metals (Cd, Ni, and Pb) remediation from wastewater. The ball milling process enhanced the ball-milled biochar/MOFs nanocomposites' crystallinity, surface morphology, textural properties, and thermal stability. The removal percentage for influent and effluent were between 94.40 % – 95.48 % and 95.73 % – 96.87 % respectively, while the removal percentage was between 96.89 % – 98.22 % obtained for the spiked solution with deionized water. From the characterization and wastewater application results obtained, ball-milled biochar/MOFs nanocomposites could be applied for remediation of wastewater.