ZnCl2-modified almond shell-based biochar for highly efficient adsorption of crystal violet and methylene blue in water
摘要
In this study, Zn-BC(ZnCl₂-modified biochar) was effectively synthesized by modifying almond shell biochar with ZnCl2, and systematically investigated its adsorption properties for crystal violet (CV) and methylene blue (MB) in fish tank-specific sterilization water. The results show that after modification with ZnCl2, the specific surface area and pore volume of Zn-BC increased by 105 times and 23.7 times, respectively. Additionally, after modification, the contact angle of Zn-BC changed from 120 to 48.9°, and the hydrophilicity of the material significantly increased. The single-factor experiment indicates that Zn-BC has a synergistic promoting effect on the adsorption of CV and MB in sterilized water, and the total adsorption capacity of Zn-BC for CV and MB is 696 mg·g⁻1, and only 3% of the adsorption capacity is lost even after 4 cycles of use. The pseudo-second-order kinetic, Freundlich, and Temkin models are more suitable for describing the adsorption behavior of Zn-BC for CV and MB, indicating that the adsorption is the result of a synergistic chemical–physical effect. The well-developed pore structure and abundant functional groups on the surface of Zn-BC, especially hydrophilic functional groups, achieve its adsorption of CV and MB through pore diffusion, hydrogen bonding, π–π interactions, complexation, ion exchange, electrostatic interactions, etc. And DFT calculations supported these findings. Overall, this study enhances the theoretical understanding of Zn-BC’s application in environmental pollution management and offers a practical approach for effectively removing dye pollutants like CV and MB from actual water sources.