Development of biochar sorbents from food-industry by-products for the removal of phenanthrene and mercury from aqueous solutions

The production of added value products such as biochars from food-industry by-products is a sustainable idea. These raw materials not only are free of charge but their pyrolysis will help solve management problems. The objectives of the present study are (a) to characterize the developed materials for their properties that affect sorption such as surface area, grain size, total organic carbon, etc., and (b) to evaluate the ability of these biochars to remove pollutants, and more specifically, phenanthrene and mercury, from aqueous solutions. All biochars presented better sorption capacity than the raw biomass (e.g. malt spent rootlets). The values of maximum sorption capacities (qmax) are rather satisfactory Based on the results, biochar is suggested as an effective solution for the decontamination of water from phenanthrene and mercury.