High effective adsorption of Pb(II) from solution by biochar derived from torrefaction of ammonium persulphate pretreated bamboo

Biochar was prepared by torrefaction of ammonium persulphate pretreated bamboo (labeled as APBC) and applied into elimination of Pb(II) from water solutions. APBC was characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, elemental and Zeta potential analyses, SEM-EDS, XPS, and FTIR. Abundant N- and O-containing groups appeared atop APBC. Batch sorption assays revealed that APBC had high affinity and strong sorption ability towards Pb(II). The high Pb(II) adsorbing ability was attributed to the high contents of N- and O-containing functional groups of APBC. The adsorption mechanism mainly occurred by inner–sphere surface complexation. Hence, torrefaction of ammonium persulphate pretreated bamboo is a promising strategy for producing efficient biochar that is applicable for industrial wastewater treatment.