Abstract

This research presents a comprehensive analysis of nanobiochar synthesized from sugarcane bagasse, focusing on its production, characterization and effectiveness in adsorption processes for wastewater treatment. The study optimized pyrolysis conditions to yield a material with a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 76.6m²/g, an average pore diameter of 3.69nm and a total pore volume of 0.0706cm³/g, indicative of a mesoporous structure beneficial for adsorption and catalysis. Response surface methodology was utilized to fine-tune pyrolysis parameters such as temperature, heating rate and residence time, aiming to maximize surface area, porosity and the abundance of functional groups. Thorough characterization via FTIR, BET, EDX, SEM, Zeta Potential and XRD confirmed the material’s high thermal stability, rich oxygen-containing functional groups and advantageous surface morphology. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated high removal efficiencies for heavy metals and organic dyes from model wastewater. The adsorption process was best described by the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics, suggesting that monolayer chemisorption is the predominant mechanism. Furthermore, the nanobiochar exhibited robust regeneration capabilities across multiple cycles with minimal loss in performance. These outcomes highlight the potential of nanobiochar derived from sugarcane bagasse as a sustainable, economical and eco-friendly adsorbent for environmental remediation applications.

Keywords:Nanobiochar; Sugarcane bagasse; Pyrolysis optimization; Wastewater treatment; Adsorption; Heavy metals