Performance of Fe-La-Ce biochar derived from Bidens pilosa L. for adsorbing fluoride in water

Fluoride in water is a threat to human health and it urgently needs to be eliminated. In this study, the selected Fe-La-Ce biochar (BBCFLC) was derived from a kind of invasive plant Bidens pilosa L. to adsorb fluoride in water, resulting in sustainable adsorption technology. Based on the results of characterization, it was analyzed that the metals were successfully incorporated into the biochar and the efficiency for fluoride removal was enhanced. Moreover, the BBCFLC performed an effective fluoride removal capacity of 192.79 mg/g with quick attainments of uptake equilibrium within 60 min, surpassing other reported absorbents. Additionally, complexation, ligand exchange, and electrostatic interaction are the key processes of the removal of fluoride by BBCFLC. This study identified that the BBCFLC is an outstanding adsorbent for fluoride adsorption in water and it also provided a new strategy for purifying aqueous pollution with the utilization and control of invasive plants.& COPY; 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).