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Maximising E-waste leachate adsorption: multi-component isotherm models and mechanisms with scalable mesoporous sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar

Al-Gailani, Amthal; Bongosia, Julius G.; Hornsby, Karl; Taylor, Martin J.

Authors

Julius G. Bongosia

Karl Hornsby



Abstract

Heavy metal contamination is a primary environmental and health concern contributing to organ damage, neurological disorders and developmental issues. Adsorption is an efficient, cost-effective method for removing heavy metals from contaminated water. In this study, the adsorption of five metals (Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Ag+ and Mn2+) into mesoporous sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar (surface area: 1061.77 m2 g−1) was investigated using multi-component isotherm models, including Extended Langmuir (EL), Extended Freundlich (EF), Modified Competitive Langmuir (MCL) and Extended Sips (ES). The biochar was synthesised via KOH activation (1, 1 w/w) followed by pyrolysis at 800 °C. The ES model was found to best describe the competitive adsorption behaviour. Among the tested metals, Pb2+ exhibited the highest adsorption capacity (605.45 mg/g), followed by Cu2+ (501.77 mg/g). Kinetic analysis using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models confirmed chemisorption superiority, specifically for Cu2+, Mn2+, and Pb2+. The rate-limiting step was temperature-dependent; intraparticle diffusion dominated at 25 °C, while chemisorption prevailed at 55 °C. The thermodynamic analysis (ΔH > 0, ΔG < 0) confirmed that the adsorption process is endothermic and spontaneous under the tested conditions. After three regeneration cycles, the biochar structure stability is confirmed with evidence of full adsorbate removal.

Citation

Al-Gailani, A., Bongosia, J. G., Hornsby, K., & Taylor, M. J. (2025). Maximising E-waste leachate adsorption: multi-component isotherm models and mechanisms with scalable mesoporous sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 75, Article 107979. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.107979

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 18, 2025
Online Publication Date May 20, 2025
Publication Date 2025-06
Deposit Date May 21, 2025
Publicly Available Date May 21, 2025
Print ISSN 2214-7144
Electronic ISSN 2214-7144
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 75
Article Number 107979
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.107979
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5179784

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