Key roles of the crystal structures of MgO-biochar nanocomposites for enhancing phosphate adsorption

The affinity of biochar (BC) adsorbing phosphate was weak, while generation of magnesium oxide (MgO)-BC nanocomposites that transformed the crystal structures of BC would change the adsorption processes in improving the phosphate adsorption. Hereon, four different crystal structure of absorbents were selected to illustrate why the crystal structures and surface properties of absorbents were of great importance for the phosphate adsorption. The results showed that MgO/KBC with higher combination degree between MgO and KBC could change the normal crystal structure (MgO/KBC1, MgO phase (dominant)) to C-Mg-O phase (dominant). Therefore, MgO/KBC could achieve highest adsorption rate (k2, 8.059 g mg−1 min−1) and qm (maximal adsorption capacity, 121.950 mg g−1) for phosphate adsorption among absorbents, and even it had high anti-interference capacity for anions and natural organic matter (NOM). The mechanisms of MgO/KBC for phosphate adsorption were hydrogen-bond interaction, inner-sphere complexation and surface chemical adsorption; adsorption of phosphate on MgO/KBC1 was mainly controlled by inner-sphere complexation (Mg-O-PO3H2−, Mg-O-PO3H2− species). In addition, the adsorbability of MgO/KBC for phosphate could be restored after recalcination, which further proved that an efficient nanocomposite, calcinated from waste biomass (fallen leaves), was proposed to control eutrophication.