According to a new study published on Langmuir, a kind of iron-based carbon microsphere was successfully prepared from tobacco waste liquid (TWL) and waste iron residue (WIR) to remove Cadmium ion (Cd(II)) from water and soil.
This research was conducted by researchers led by Prof. WU Zhengyan from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Non-nutritive metal has been considered harmful to the environment and humans. With the rapid development of metallurgy, electroplating, pigment, mining, and battery industries, cadmium pollution is becoming increasingly serious. About 30,000 tons of TWL is released to the environment each year, resulting in severe pollution.
The researchers tried to reuse these two wastes in this study. They named the novel magnetic iron-based carbon microsphere as WIR@TWL.
To improve the stability and increase active groups of WIR@TWL particle, the researchers coated the magic microsphere with sodium polyacrylate to form WIR@TWL@SP. They used this method to improve Cd(II) removal efficiency as the hydrochar was stable the WIR surface and the carboxyl group was modified on the surface ofWIR@TWL@SP.
cation-exchange, electrostatic attraction, hydrogen-bond interaction, and cation-π interaction were also included in the removal mechanisms.
Co-hydrothermal treatment was also an innovation, and no one used this method to fabricate WIR@TWL before, according to the researchers.
This research was supported by the University Synergy Innovation Program of Anhui Province, and the Science and Technology Major Project of Anhui Province.
