Application of Biochar Derived from Pomelo Peels and Corn Cobs for the Removal of Ammonium Residue in Wastewater after Distillation Process
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study aimed to utilize agricultural by-products to produce adsorbents that are capable of removing ammonium from the effluent after the distillation-based treatment of industrial wastewater. Pomelo peel and corn cobs were processed through multiple steps including H3PO4 and pyrolysis to fabricate CC-Biochar and PP-Biochar materials for ammonium removal from water. The fabricated adsorbents exhibited a porous and heterogeneous surface structure, in which the walls of larger pores contained many smaller pores. CC-Biochar activated carbon had a more porous surface structure and more cavities than PP-Biochar activated carbon. Both CC-Biochar and
PP-Biochar contained functional groups such as –C–O, C=C, C=O, C=N, C–H, –OH, and –NH. The optimal dosage of the modified adsorbents BioP-1 and BioP-2 was determined to be 10 g/L, corresponding to the highest adsorption efficiency of 43.28% for PP-Biochar and 49.19% for CC-Biochar. Both types of fabricated materials exhibited the fastest ammonium adsorption within the first 60 minutes. The ammonium adsorption capacities of CC-Biochar and PP-Biochar were 5.15 and 4.36 mg/g, respectively.
Keywords:
Industrial wastewater, pomelo peels, corn cob, CC-Biochar, PP-Biochar, ammonium treatment.
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[4] Y. Lin, M. Guo, N. Shah, D. C. Stuckey, Economic and Environmental Evaluation of Nitrogen Removal and Recovery Methods from Wastewater, Bioresource Technology, Vol. 215, 2016,
pp. 227-238, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.03.064.
[5] L. Kinidi, I. A. W. Tan, N. B. A. Wahab, K. F. B. Tamrin, C. N. Hipolito, S. F. Salleh, Recent Development in Ammonia Stripping Process for Industrial Wastewater Treatment, International Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol. 2018, https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3181087.
[6] Y. Ye, H. H. Ngo, W. Guo, Y. Liu, S. W. Chang, D. D. Nguyen, J. Wang, A Critical Review on Ammonium Recovery from Wastewater for Sustainable Wastewater Management, Bioresource Technology, Vol. 268, 2018, pp. 749-758, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2018.07.111.
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[9] X. Yang, Y. Wan, Y. Zheng, F. He, Z. Yu, J. Huang, H. Wang, Y. S. Ok, Y. Jiang, B. Gao, Surface Functional Groups of Carbon-Based Adsorbents and Their Roles in the Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solutions: A Critical Review, Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 49, 2019, pp. 356-447, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2019.02.119.
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[12] V. T. Mai, T. V. Tuyen, Research on Ammonium Removal from Aqueous Solution Using Modified Corncob-biochar by H3PO4 and NaOH, VNU Journal of Science: Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vol. 32, 1S, 2016 (in Vietnamese), https://js.vnu.edu.vn/EES/article/view/2779.
[13] A. Sasongko, R. W. Nugroho, D. Mulyani, Ammonia Determination in Bottled Water Using Spectrophotometer: Comparison Between Nessler and Berthelot Methods, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Vol. 106, 2018, pp. 012077, https://download.garuda.kemdikbud.go.id/article.php?article=839603&val=5110&title=Ammonia%20Determination%20In%20Bottled%20Water%20Using%20Spectrophotometer%20%20Comparison%20Between%20Nessler%20And%20Berthelot%20Methods (accessed on: August 1st, 2025)
[14] S. M. A. E. Gamal, A. M. Zayed, E. A. Abdelrahman, A. M. E. Kamash, M. I. A. Abdel Maksoud, A. H. Ragab, Corncob Biochar Activation by Phosphoric Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide for Enhancing Ammonium Adsorption, Chemosphere, Vol. 310, 2023, pp. 136802, https://doi.org/10.21608/ijasri.2023.236421.1007.
[15] B. T. L. Anh, Study on the Preparation of Adsorbent Material from Coconut Coir for Ammonium Removal in Hospital Wastewater, Master’s Thesis, VNU University of Science, Hanoi, 2016 (in Vietnamese).
[16] M. D. G. D. Luna, C. M. Futalan, C. A. Jurado, J. I. Colades, M. W. Wan, Removal of Ammonium-Nitrogen from Aqueous Solution Using Chitosan-Coated Bentonite: Mechanism and Effect of Operating Parameters, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 135, 2018, pp. 45803, https://doi.org/10.1002/app.45924?urlappend=%3Futm_source%3Dresearchgate.
[17] S. Be, S. Vinitnantharat, A. Pinisakul, Effect of Mangrove Biochar Residue Amended Shrimp Pond Sediment on Nitrogen Adsorption and Leaching, Sustainability, Vol. 13, 2021, pp. 7230, https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137230.
[18] K. A. Wystalska, Kwarciak-Kozłowska, The Effects of Using Biochar to Remove Ammonium Nitrogen Generated During the Processing of Biodegradable Waste, Desalination and Water Treatment, Vol. 225, 2021, pp. 203-213, https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2021.27226.
[19] T. M. Vu, D. P. Doan, H. T. Van, T. V. Nguyen, S. Vigneswaran, H. H. Ngo, Removing Ammonium from Water Using Modified Corncob-Biochar, Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 579, 2017, pp. 612-619, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.050.
[20] A. A. Halim, M. T. Latif, A. Ithnin, Ammonia Removal from Aqueous Solution Using Organic Acid Modified Activated Carbon, World Applied Sciences Journal, Vol. 21, 2013, pp. 144-149, https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.wasj.2013.24.01.7454.