Biochar is one of the promising adsorbent for removal of phosphate as well as heavy metals present in contaminated water. It is a solid material, prepared from biomass, like wood waste, by low temperature pyrolysis under limited supply of oxygen. In this study, biochar was used as the renewable resource material, which was impregnated with zinc oxide in the presence of glycine betaine. This nanocomposite was an excellent adsorbent for removal of phosphate and showed a high capacity and fast kinetics. The synthesis of this biochar-based nanocomposite is a simple and easy process which is eco-friendly and economically feasible. The nanocomposite was characterized using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunner-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Adsorption isotherms like Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-R) were performed to find out the adsorption capacity and mechanism. Lagergren pseudo-first and second order, Elovich, and Weber-Morris intra-particle diffusion studies were also performed. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 88.50 mg g<sup>-1</sup>. The results showed the removal of phosphorus from contaminated water from 10,000 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion, which is below the EPA recommended maximum concentration limit.

Benign, renewable betaine-modified biochar-based nanocomposite containing zinc oxide for removal of phosphate from contaminated water

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.