Biochars derived from carp residues: characteristics and copper immobilization performance in water environments

Heavy metal pollution has attracted worldwide attention because of its adverse impact on the aquatic environment and human health. The production of biochar from biowaste has become a promising strategy for managing animal carcasses and remediating heavy metal pollution in the aquatic environment. However, the sorption and remediation performance of carp residue-derived biochar (CRB) in Cu-polluted water is poorly understood. Herein, batches of CRB were prepared from carp residues at 450–650 °C (CRB450–650) to investigate their physicochemical characteristics and performance in the sorption and remediation of Cu-polluted water. Compared with a relatively low-temperature CRB (e.g., CRB450), the high-temperature biochar (CRB650) possessed a large surface area and thermodynamic stability. CRB650 contained higher oxygen-containing functional groups and P-associated minerals, such as hydroxyapatite. As the pyrolytic temperature increased from 450 to 650°C, the maximum sorption capacity of the CRBs increased from 26.5 to 62.5 mg/g. The adsorption process was a type of monolayer adsorption onto homogenous materials, and the sorption of Cu 2+ on the CRB was mainly based on chemical adsorption. The most effective potential adsorption mechanisms were in order of electrostatic attraction and cation-π interaction > surface complexation and precipitation > pore-filling and cation exchange. Accordingly, the CRBs efficiently immobilized Cu 2+ and reduced its bioavailability in water. These results provide a promising strategy to remediate heavy metal-polluted water using designer biochars derived from biowastes, particularly animal carcasses.