Use of Agricultural Biomass to Produce Low-Cost Adsorbent for Sustainable Environmental Management

Agricultural biomass is thermally decomposed such as by pyrolysis, without an abundant supply of oxygen, and biochar, a solid substance with a carbonaceous (C-65–90%) composition, is produced. Biochar is a novel adsorbing substance with enormous potential. It has many advantages including wastewater treatment, soil remediation, carbon sequestration, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and mitigating climate change. The minimal porosity and low amount of surface functional groups in biochar, however, hinder its ability to adsorb substances. Engineered biochar has more surface area, is extremely porous, has greater catalysis, has a high ion exchange capacity, is more affordable, and is recoverable when compared to natural biochar. As a result, heavy metals, developing organic pollutants, and dyes in water and wastewater can be effectively adsorbed by biochar-based nanocomposites. In this chapter, we provide a summary of the adsorptive removal of the relevant contaminants in terms of the mechanisms governing cleanup.