Resumo de eventos cient??ficos
Influence of pyrolytic temperature on uranium adsorption capability by biochar derived from macauba coconut residue
Autor
GUILHEN, S.N.
COLETI, J.
TENARIO, J.A.S.
FUNGARO, D.A.
60 YEARS OF IEA-R1: INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON UTILIZATION OF RESEARCH REACTORS
Resumen
Biochar (BC) is a carbon-rich product obtained when biomass is thermally decomposed
at relatively low temperatures (under 700 C) and limited supply of oxygen
in a process called pyrolysis. The conversion of biomass into BC can not only result
in renewable energy source of synthetic gas and bio-oil, but also decrease the content
of CO2 in the atmosphere, as well as improving soil fertility. Because of its porous structure, charged surface and surface functional groups, BC exhibits a great potential
as an adsorbent. Brazilian agro energy chain involves tons of biomass waste,
providing a wide range of biomasses with different chemical and physical properties.
BC characteristics strongly depend on the feedstock and the pyrolysis conditions, in
which the temperature is the key parameter. The aim of this study was to evaluate
the adsorption potential for the removal of uranium, U(VI), from aqueous solutions
using BC obtained through the pyrolysis of the macauba (Acrocomia aculeata) coconut
endocarp as a function of the final pyrolytic temperature. BCs produced at
higher temperatures are likely to present lower H/C and O/C ratios, indicating the
loss of easily degradable carbon compounds such as volatile matter. In contrast,
low-temperature pyrolysis produces not only a higher BC yield, but also richer in surface
functional groups which will likely enable interactions with the U(VI) ions. The
endocarp was subjected to six different pyrolytic temperatures, ranging from 250 C
to 750 C. The influence of parameters such as pH, sorbent dose and initial concentration
on the adsorption of U(VI) was investigated. The maximum adsorption
capacity (q) was achieved for the BC obtained at 250 C (BC250), which presented
a removal percentage of approx. 86%, demonstrating the potential of the BC from
macauba endocarp for treatment of wastewaters. Thus, submitting the endocarp
to temperatures higher than 250 C becomes unnecessary, saving time and reducing
operating costs.