Formable porous biochar loaded with La-Fe(hydr)oxides/montmorillonite for efficient removal of phosphorus in wastewater:process and mechanisms

The development of biochar-based granule-like adsorbents suitable for scaled-up application has been attracting increasing attention in the field of water treatment.Herein,a new formable porous granulated biochar loaded with La-Fe(hydr)oxides/montmorillonite(LaFe/MB)was fabricated via a granulation and pyrolysis process for enhanced phosphorus(P)removal from wastewater.Montmorillonite acted as a binder that increased the size of the granulated biochar,while the use of Fe promoted the surface charge and facilitated the dispersion of La,which was responsible for selective phosphate removal.LaFe/MB exhibited rapid phosphate adsorption kinetics and a high maximum adsorption capacity(Langmuir model,52.12 mg P g^(−1)),which were better than those of many existing granulated materials.The desorption and recyclability experiments showed that LaFe/MB could be regenerated,and maintained 76.7%of its initial phosphate adsorption capacity after four adsorption cycles.The high hydraulic endurance strength retention rate of the developed material(91.6%)suggested high practical applicability in actual wastewater.Electro-static attraction,surface precipitation,and inner-sphere complexation via ligand exchange were found to be involved in selective P removal over a wide pH range of 3-9.The thermodynamic parameters were determined,which revealed the feasibility and spontaneity of adsorption.Based on approximate site energy distribution analyses,high distribution frequency contributed to efficient P removal.The research results provide a new insight that LaFe/MB shows great application prospects for advanced phosphate removal from wastewater.