Rice straw biochar for removal of phenol from water

Abstract

Phenols are considered as persistent organic pollutants. These are highly dangerous for human beings due to their toxic and mutagenic outcomes. Adsorption is considered as one of the most profitable method for removal of pollutants from aqueous medium. Adsorptive behavior of phenol from aqueous medium using rice straw biochar was examined. The rice straw biochar was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and Fourier transform Infra-red Spectroscopy. The effect of different process parameters, namely initial phenol concentration and contact time were examined. The micro porous structure on rice straw supported the absorption. About 70% of phenol was removed 60 minutes.