Novel and high-performance biochar derived from pistachio green hull biomass: Production, characterization, and application to Cu(II) removal from aqueous solutions

In recent years, biochar is being widely considered as an effective and low cost biosorbent in water and wastewater treatment processes. Various biomasses can be effectively used for biochar production, and this study investigates the use of a novel biochar derived from pistachio green hull to remove Cu(II) from aqueous solutions. The biochar was analyzed by FTIR, SEM-WDX, and SEM-EDX. The efficacy of several experimental factors was investigated in a number of batch adsorption experiments. The sorption kinetics of copper on the biochar were satisfactorily described by a pseudo–second order model. The adsorption isotherms were well described by the Langmuir model. The analysis of experimental results suggested that the Cu(II) sorption onto biochar could mainly be ascribed to cation exchange, surface precipitation, and surface complexation with oxygen-containing functional groups. Overall, it can be concluded that biochar derived from pistachio green hull is valuable as a green cost-effective sorbent for Cu(II) removal from water.