Urea removal in reclaimed water used for ultrapure water production by spent coffee biochar/granular activated carbon activating peroxymonosulfate and peroxydisulfate

Bioresour Technol. 2022 Jan:343:126062. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126062. Epub 2021 Sep 30.

Authors

Xinbo Zhang¹, Yuanying Yang¹, Huu Hao Ngo², Wenshan Guo³, Fengxia Sun⁴, Xiao Wang⁵, Jianqing Zhang⁵, Tianwei Long¹

Affiliations

¹ Joint Research Centre for Protective Infrastructure Technology and Environmental Green Bioprocess, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science and Technology, Tianjin Chengjian University, Jinjing Road 26, Tianjin 300384, China.
² Joint Research Centre for Protective Infrastructure Technology and Environmental Green Bioprocess, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China; Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. Electronic address: ngohuuhao121@gmail.com.
³ Joint Research Centre for Protective Infrastructure Technology and Environmental Green Bioprocess, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China; Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
⁴ College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271000, China.
⁵ TG Hilyte Environment Technology (Beijing) Co., LTD., Beijing 100000, China.

PMID: 34601025
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126062

Abstract

This study evaluated the performance of spent coffee biochar (SCBC)/granular activated carbon (GAC) activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and peroxydisulfate (PDS) for urea degradation in reclaimed water used for ultrapure water production. Results showed that catalyst and oxidant wielded a great influence on urea removal. Of them, the GAC-PMS system could completely remove urea at the least oxidant (1 g/L) and catalyst dosage (0.2 g/L). GAC activating PMS mainly depended on graphite C structure and minor oxygen functional groups. However, the amounts of urea removed by 600BC-PMS and 900BC-PMS were 57% and 70%, respectively. In the PDS system, the urea removal through GAC-PDS could reach 90%, which mainly depends on the graphite C structure of GAC. Using the same conditions, the urea removal of 900BC-PDS was similar to GAC-PDS, so it has some potential as an alternative to commercial GAC.

Keywords: Biochar; Granular activated carbon; Persulfate activation; Ultrapure water; Urea.

MeSH terms

Charcoal*
Coffee
Peroxides
Urea
Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Coffee
Peroxides
Water Pollutants, Chemical
biochar
Water
Charcoal
peroxymonosulfate
Urea