Simultaneous adsorption of As(III) and Pb(II) by the iron-sulfur codoped biochar composite: Competitive and synergistic effects

Simultaneous elimination of As(III) and Pb(II) from wastewater is still a great challenge. In this work, an iron-sulfur codoped biochar (Fe/S-BC) was successfully fabricated in a simplified way and was applied to the remediate the co-pollution of As(III) and Pb(II). The positive enthalpy indicated that the adsorption in As-Pb co-pollution was an endothermic reaction. The mechanism of As(III) removal could be illustrated by surface complexation, oxidation and precipitation. In addition to precipitation and complexation, the elimination mechanism of Pb(II) also contained ion exchange and electrostatic interactions. Competitive and synergistic effects existed simultaneously in the co-contamination system. The suppression of As(III) was ascribed to competitive complexation of the two metals on Fe/S-BC, while the synergy of Pb(II) was attributed to the formation of the PbFe2(AsO4)2(OH)2. Batch experiments revealed that Fe/S-BC had outstanding ability to remove As(III) and Pb(II), regardless of pH dependency and interference by various coexisting ions. The maximum adsorption capacities of the Fe/S-BC for As(III) and Pb(II) were 91.2 mg/g and 631.7 mg/g, respectively. Fe/S-BC could be treated as a novel candidate for the elimination of As(III)-Pb(II) combined pollution.