Preparation method of La(OH).SUB.3 .nanorod coated walnut shell biochar composite

Abstract

The present invention relates to a preparation method of La(OH).sub.3 nanorod/walnut shell biochar composite material (LN-WB), comprising the following steps: putting walnut shell powder into a crucible and pyrolyzing and carbonizing in a muffle furnace at 350° C. to 450° C.; after the pyrolysis is completed, grinding and sieving the obtained biochar, and then repeatedly washing with deionized water; drying the washed biochar for later use; putting an appropriate amount of biochar into the deionized water to form a turbid solution; simultaneously dropwise adding LaCl.sub.3 and NaOH to the above turbid solution by using a peristaltic pump; and allowing the obtained mixture to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 h, washing and drying for later use. The present invention successfully prepares a La(OH).sub.3 nanoparticle-loaded biochar composite material through a simple synthesis technology.

Claims

1. A preparation method of La(OH).sub.3 nanorod coated walnut shell biochar composite, comprising the following steps: (1) putting walnut shell powder into a crucible and pyrolyzing and carbonizing in a muffle furnace at 350° C. to 450° C.; (2) after the pyrolysis is completed, grinding and sieving the obtained biochar, and then repeatedly washing with deionized water; (3) drying the washed biochar for later use; (4) putting an appropriate amount of biochar into the deionized water to form a turbid solution; (5) simultaneously dropwise adding LaCl.sub.3 and NaOH to the above turbid solution by using a peristaltic pump; (6) allowing the obtained mixture to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 h, washing and drying for later use.

2. The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the LaCl.sub.3 solution is 0.3-0.6 mol/L, and the concentration of the NaOH solution is 1.0-2.0 mol/L.

3. The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein the pyrolysis and carbonization time is 1-3 h.

4. The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein the drying temperature in the step (3) is 100 to 110° C.

5. The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein the mass percentage of the biochar in the step (4) is 9% to 10%.

6. The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein the dripping speed of LaCl.sub.3 and NaOH by the peristaltic pump in the step (5) is 1.5-2.0 mL/min.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a comparison diagram of adsorption capacity of La(OH nanorod coated walnut shell biochar composite (LN-WB) prepared under different conditions:

(2) FIG. 2 shows adsorption-desorption isotherms and pore size distribution of walnut shell biochar (WB) and LN-WB N.sub.2;

(3) FIG. 3 shows zeta potential distribution of WB and LN-WB;

(4) FIG. 4 is an SEM-EDS diagram of WB and LN-WB;

(5) FIG. 5 is a TEM diagram of LN-WB;

(6) FIG. 6 is an FTIR diagram of WB and LN-WB;

(7) FIG. 7 is an XRD diagram of WB and LN-WB;

(8) FIG. 8a shows pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order equation fitting curves;

(9) FIG. 8b shows fitting curves of internal diffusion equations (reaction conditions: the amount of adsorbent is 1 g/L, the shaking speed is 120 r/min, the temperature is 25° C., and the reaction time 0.17-48 h);

(10) FIG. 9 is an isothermal adsorption curve; and

(11) FIG. 10 shows the influence of initial pH of solution on adsorption volume.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(12) The present invention is further described below in detail through specific embodiments. The following embodiments are only descriptive, not restrictive, and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

Embodiment 1

(13) A preparation method of La(OH).sub.3 nanorod/walnut shell adsorbing material comprises the following steps:

(14) 1. Preparation of Biochar WB

(15) (1) The walnut shell powder is transferred into the crucible; the crucible is transferred into a box muffle furnace; and then the heating rate of the box muffle furnace is adjusted to 5° C./min, the pyrolysis time is adjusted to 2 h, and final pyrolysis temperature is 400° C. for carbonization.

(16) (2) After the pyrolysis is completed, when the temperature in the furnace is lower than 100° C., the crucible is taken out and cooled, and the biochar is ground and sieved through a 60-mesh sieve tray. Then, the biochar is repeatedly washed with deionized water for three times.

(17) (3) The washed biochar sample is dried in an oven of 105° C. for later use.

(18) 2. Preparation of LN-WB

(19) (1) 10 g of WB is accurately weighed and transferred into a 500 mL beaker, and 100 mL of deionized water is added to form a turbid solution.

(20) (2) A peristaltic pump is used to simultaneously dropwise add 100 mL of LaCl.sub.3 and NaOH to the above turbid solution. The concentration of the LaCl.sub.3 solution is 0.5 mol/L; the concentration of the NaOH solution is 1.6 mol/L; and the flow rate of the peristaltic pump is about 2 min/L.

(21) (3) The obtained mixture stands at room temperature for 24 h; the biochar is washed with pure water for 3 times by vacuum suction filtration; and the obtained sample is dried at 80° C. for later use.

(22) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Biochar Yield and La Content WB Sample LN-WB productivity (%) Sample yield (g) La content (wt %) 34.59 ± 1.33 19.41 ± 0.09 26.59 ± 1.21

Reference Example 1

(23) It is different from embodiment 1 in that:

(24) In the preparation step (2) of LN-WB, 100 mL of 0.5 mol/L LaCl.sub.3 solution is added to a beaker, and stirred vigorously with a glass rod for 1-2 min. Then, 100 mL of 1.6 mol/L NaOH is added dropwise to the mixed solution. In the dripping process, the solution is continuously stirred with the glass rod to uniformly mix the solution.

Reference Example 2

(25) It is different from reference example 1 in that: the pyrolysis temperature is 500° C.

Reference Example 3

(26) It is different from reference example 1 in that: the pyrolysis temperature is 600° C.

(27) Test of Phosphorus Adsorption by Biochar

(28) 0.1 g of La(OH).sub.3 modified biochar is weighed, and a phosphorus solution is 100 mL has a concentration of 100 mg/L. An adsorption reaction is performed in a shaker at 120 rpm and 25° C. for 48 h. The supernatant is filtered through a 0.45-micron filter membrane to determine the TP concentration. The results are as follows.

(29) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Comparison of Adsorption Capacity Reference example 1 Reference example 2 Reference example 3 Adsorption capacity Adsorption capacity Adsorption capacity Embodiment 1 ofconventional ofconventional of conventional Adsorption capacity of 400° C. drippingat drippingat dripping at 600° C. biochar by dripping with 400° C.(mg/g) 500° C.(mg/g) (mg/g) peristaltic pump (mg/g) 53.25 ± 2.1 49.23 ± 1.5 46.56 ± 1.8 63.27 ± 1.2

(30) The biochar prepared by the method of embodiment 1 is represented as follows.

(31) 1. Analysis of Physical and Chemical Properties of Biochar

(32) Table 2 shows the C, H, O and N contents, BET specific surface area, pore volume, pore size and isopotential points of WB and LN-WB. According to Table 3, after La(OH).sub.3 is loaded, the content of element O is slightly increased, and the contents of other elements are decreased. The content of element O is increased because the total mass is increased but the content (25.28%) of element O in La(OH).sub.3 is higher than the content of element O in WB. The content of element H is decreased because the total mass is increased but the content (1.58%) of element H in La(OH).sub.3 is lower than the content of element H in WB. The contents of other elements are decreased only because the total mass is increased. FIG. 2 shows the adsorption-desorption curves of WB and LN-WB for N.sub.2. The S.sub.BET of WB is 2.77 m.sup.2/g; the pore volume calculated by BJH is 0.0020 m.sup.3/g; and the average pore diameter is 62.796 nm. After La(OH).sub.3 is loaded, the specific surface area is 50.6009 m.sup.2/g, the pore volume is 0.2362 m.sup.3/g, and the average pore diameter is 16.8557 nm. The surface area of the biochar is increased sharply after La(OH).sub.3 is loaded, which may be because La(OH).sub.3 forms rich microporous systems on the surface of the biochar. In addition, the isoelectric point (pH.sub.PZC) of WB is 4.6, and pH.sub.PZC of LN-WB is 6.03. It is shown that loading of La(OH).sub.3 can increase the isoelectric point of original biochar. FIG. 3 shows the change of the Zeta potentials of WB and LN-WB with the increase of pH.

(33) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Specific Surface, Pore Size and Pore Volume of Biochar O N S.sub.BET Pore size Pore Volume Biochar C (%) H (%) (%) (%) (m.sup.2/g) (nm) (m.sup.3/g) pH.sub.PZC WB 70.87 6.30 19.33 0.40 2.7662 62.7961 0.0019 4.21 LN-WB 39.95 2.10 20.96 0.13 50.6009 16.8557 0.2362 6.03

(34) 2. SEM and TEM Analysis

(35) As shown in FIG. 4, the WB surface is smooth and the texture is similar to clouds. After La(OH).sub.3 is loaded, the WB surface is completely covered by La(OH).sub.3 particles. FIG. 5 is a high-resolution TEM image of LN-WB. La active components are mainly loaded on the surface of biochar in the form of rods, and extend to the space at the edges. In the high-resolution lattice fringe phase, an interplanar spacing d=0.318 nm corresponds to the (101) plane of the hexagonal La(OH).sub.3 (PDF #36-1481). The conclusion is consistent with the XRD analysis result. Selected area electron diffraction patterns are multiple rings, which indicates that polycrystalline substances are formed, and the radiuses of the diffraction rings can respectively correspond to (100) and (210) crystal planes of the hexagonal La(OH).sub.3.

(36) 3. FTIR and XRD Analysis

(37) FIG. 6 is an FTIR diagram of WB and LN-WB. WB and LN-WB adsorption peaks have obvious differences in the characteristic adsorption peaks at the four positions, as shown by the ellipse in the diagram. The adsorption peak at the wave number of 3609 cm.sup.−1 of the first ellipse is derived from the O—H stretching vibration in La(OH).sub.3. The adsorption peaks at the wave numbers of 1496 cm.sup.−1 and 1380 cm.sup.−1 of the second ellipse are derived from the stretching vibration of C—O in CO.sub.3.sup.2-. The adsorption peak at the wave number of 852 cm.sup.−1 of the third ellipse is derived from the stretching vibration of La—OH. The adsorption peak at the wave number of 648 cm.sup.−1 of the fourth ellipse is derived from the stretching vibration of La—O. In addition, some characteristic adsorption peaks of WB are attributed to the stretching vibration of OH in H.sub.2O at 3420 cm.sup.−1, and attributed to the stretching vibration of CH at the 2924 cm.sup.−1 and 2860 cm.sup.−1, and the characteristic peaks of 1600 cm.sup.−1 are attributed to the stretching vibration of C═O. The analysis of the above results shows that La(OH).sub.3 is successfully loaded on the surface of the biochar, but because the sample is prepared in the air, part of La(OH).sub.3 may absorb CO.sub.2 and convert it into La.sub.2(CO.sub.3).sub.3.

(38) FIG. 7 is an XRD diagram of WB and LN-WB. WB has no characteristic adsorption peak, which indicates that WB is an amorphous substance. The adsorption peak of LN-WB is analyzed by jade 6.0, which shows that the phase is mainly hexagonal La(OH).sub.3 (PDF card number 36-1481), and the mass content in the crystal phase is about 95%.

(39) 4. Adsorption Kinetics

(40) The adsorption capacities of WB and LN-WB for phosphorus are changed with time as shown in FIG. 8. Under the test conditions, WB has no adsorption capacity for phosphorus, but releases the phosphorus carried by WB into the solution. The release amount after about 48 hours is about 0.28 mg/g. In order to study the kinetic adsorption characteristics of phosphate by LN-WB, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic equations are used to simulate the adsorption process of phosphate radical by LN-WB under different phosphate concentrations. The test data is fitted by equations (1) and (2), and the results are shown in Table 4. At different phosphorus concentration levels, the fitting results of pseudo-second-order kinetics are better than those of pseudo-first-order kinetics, which indicates that the adsorption of phosphate by LN-WB is mainly controlled by the chemical adsorption process.

(41) In order to further determine the actual speed control steps in the test, an internal diffusion equation (3) is used to fit the test data. At different concentrations of phosphate levels, the fitted straight reverse extension lines do not pass the origin, which indicates that internal diffusion is not the only rate control step. However, the fitting curve can be divided into two parts, which indicates that the adsorption of phosphate by LN-WB is a multi-order adsorption process. In the adsorption of all phosphorus concentration levels by LN-WB, k.sub.1 is greater than k.sub.2 and c.sub.1 is less than c.sub.2, indicating that the first-stage rate is greater than the second-stage rate. This phenomenon can be explained as follows: at the beginning, the concentration difference is large, and there are many active sites on the surface of the adsorbent. As the adsorption time increases, the concentration difference is gradually decreased; the surface of the adsorbent becomes saturated; the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent gradually loses; and the adsorption rate is mainly controlled by the diffusion resistance within the particles.

(42) Pseudo-first-order kinetic equation:
q.sub.t=q.sub.e(1−e.sup.−k.sup.1.sup.t)  (1)

(43) Pseudo-second-order kinetic equation:

(44) $\begin{array}{cc}{q}_t=\frac{q_e^2{k}_{2}t}{1+q_e{k}_{2}t}& \left(2\right)\end{array}$

(45) Intraparticle diffusion equation:
q.sub.t=k.sub.dit.sup.1/2c.sub.1  (3)

(46) In the equations: q.sub.t is the adsorption volume of phosphorus at time t, mg/g; q.sub.e is the adsorption volume of phosphorus at adsorption equilibrium, mg/g; k.sub.1 is a first-order rate constant, h.sup.−1; k.sub.2 is a second-order rate constant, g/mg.Math.h; k.sub.di is the intraparticle diffusion rate constant, mg/(g.Math.h.sup.1/2); and c.sub.1 is the intraparticle diffusion constant, mg/g.

(47) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Adsorption Kinetic Parameters of Phosphate by LN-WB Phosphorus concentration Pseudo-first-order kinetic model Pseudo-second-order kinetic model (mg/L) K.sub.1(h.sup.-1) q.sub.e(mg g.sup.−1) R.sup.2 K.sub.2(g mg.sup.−1 h.sup.−1) q.sub.e(mg g.sup.−1) R.sup.2 10 0.4173 9.89 0.9433 0.0642 10.22 0.9680 20 0.2676 17.81 0.9588 0.0165 19.82 0.9786 50 0.1768 40.34 0.9202 0.0103 41.10 0.9462 Intraparticle diffusion model Phosphorus concentration (mg/L) K.sub.d1(mg g.sup.−1 h.sup.−1/2) C.sub.1 R.sup.2 K.sub.d2(mg g.sup.−1 h.sup.−1/2) C.sub.2 R.sup.2 10 1.4185 2.8741 0.9849 0.2060 8.5445 0.9126 20 2.9709 3.7961 0.9974 0.4649 16.0574 0.9295 50 6.8041 4.8832 0.9958 2.4766 25.1915 0.8534

(48) 5. Adsorption Isotherm

(49) In order to evaluate the maximum adsorption capacity of LN-WB for phosphate, Langmuir equation is used to fit the test data, and the results are shown in FIG. 9. The Langmuir equation fits the test data well; the correlation coefficient R.sup.2 is 0.9893; and the maximum adsorption capacity of Langmuir is 75.08 mg/g, which is close to a measured value, indicating the correctness of the model fitting. In order to facilitate comparison with the phosphorus adsorption capacity of other La-based adsorption materials, Table 5 lists the maximum adsorption capacity value obtained by fitting the Langmuir equation in other literature. It can be seen from the table that, LN-WB has outstanding advantages as a phosphate adsorbent. Compared with similar La-modified biochar materials, the adsorption capacity of LN-WB is inferior to that of La.sub.10-MC. However, with the same mass of carbon matrix, La addition amount of La.sub.10-MC is twice of LN-WB. However, La.sub.10-MC does not obtain twice the adsorption capacity of LN-WB, which indicates that the La utilization efficiency is lower than that of LN-WB. In the La-modified biochar material, the P/La molar ratio of La—RHBC.sub.9 is 1.59, which is slightly higher than that of LN-WB. However, in order to obtain an excellent mesoporous biochar matrix, the pyrolysis temperature of the material is 800° C., and CO.sub.2 is used to activate the biochar in the preparation process. High temperature of pyrolysis may lead to a sharp decline in biochar yield, and the use of CO.sub.2 for activation may also increase the production cost. In another aspect, in the preparation of LN-WB, the mass ratio of raw materials to La is the same as LPC@(OH).sub.3, but the adsorption capacity of LN-WB is higher than LPC@(OH).sub.3. This may be caused by two reasons. The high temperature of pyrolysis is conducive to the development of micropores of the biochar to obtain biochar with a large specific surface area. However, for metal loading, a developed microporous system may not be advantageous, because in the process of metal loading, the precipitated metal will fill the micropores, resulting in the decrease in metal utilization efficiency when phosphorus is adsorbed. Secondly, LPC@(OH).sub.3 is prepared by a single-drop method. In this study, a two-drop method is used. A more uniform particle system is obtained by using the two-drop method. However, the study that compares La—RHBC.sub.9 and LPC@(OH).sub.3 shows that when the pores of the biochar matrix are more developed, the La addition amount can be reduced to achieve a higher P/La molar ratio, although the adsorption capacity is decreased. Compared with other La-based adsorption materials, LN-WB can obtain a higher P/La molar ratio. It shows that it is reasonable to use biochar matrix loaded La(OH).sub.3 to remove phosphate from the water, and the utilization efficiency of La can be increased when the phosphorus is adsorbed.

(50) Langmuir isothermal equation:

(51) $\begin{array}{cc}{q}_e=\frac{q_{\max }{K}_L{c}_e}{1+K_L{c}_e}& \left(4\right)\end{array}$

(52) In the equation: q.sub.e is the adsorption capacity of phosphorus at equilibrium, mg/g; q.sub.max is the Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity, mg/g; K.sub.L is the Langmuir equilibrium constant, L/mg; and c.sub.e is the mass concentration of phosphorus at equilibrium, mg/L.

(53) TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Comparison of Adsorption Capacity of La-based Adsorption Materials Pyrolysis Sbet Mass ratio of raw Adsorption temperature (m2 g.sup.−1) materials to La La content P/La molar capacity Adsorbent (° C.) (w.sub.0/w La) (wt %) ratio (mg-P g.sup.−1) Literature source La-500 500 Nd 2.88 Nd Nd 46.57 (Wang et al. 2015) La-BC 500 45.79 2.17 Nd Nd 46.37 (Wang et al. 2016) La.sub.0.1-PC 400 308.9 12.95 6.65 0.896 13.3 (Koilraj et al. 2017) La.sub.10-MC 300 84.89 0.72 Nd Nd 101.16 (Liao et al. 2018) LPC@(OH).sub.3 700 473 1.44 28.72 0.94 60.24 (Liu et al. 2018) La-RHBC.sub.9 800 455.7 5.0 12.85 1.59 45.62 (Tang et al. 2019) La- biochar 491 8.11 Nd 12.1 1.34 36.06 (Xu et al. 2019) LN-WB 400 50.60 1.44 26.59 1.27 75.08 The present invention Pho slock Nd Nd Nd 4.9 0.93 10.19 (Haghseresht et al. 2009) Prepared La(OH).sub.3 Nd 153.3 Nd 50.54 0.95 107.53 (Xie et al. 2014) Commercial La(OH).sub.3 Nd 31.1 Nd 73.32 0.34 55.56 (Xie et al. 2014) La(OH).sub.3 nanorod Nd Nd Nd 73.0 0.90 170.1 (Fang et al. 2017) Remarks: Nd means that related data is not found.

(54) 6. Influence of pH on Adsorption Capacity

(55) FIG. 10 shows the change of the adsorption capacity with the increase of the initial pH of the phosphate solution. It can be seen that the initial pH of the phosphate solution is within the range of 3-11, and LN-WB shows high adsorption capacity for phosphate, and has adsorption capacity values higher than 55 mg-P/g, but when the pH is further increased to 12, the adsorption capacity of LN-WB for phosphate is decreased sharply. Compared with the pH of 3, the adsorption capacity value is decreased by about 54.97%. Compared with the pH of 11, the adsorption capacity value is decreased by about 47.23%. The change tendency of phosphate adsorption capacity with the increase of the pH is similar to that of some previous La-based adsorption materials. The influence of the pH on adsorption generally includes three aspects. Firstly, the pH will influence the ionization of the surface material of the adsorbent, thereby influencing the charging properties of the adsorbent material. Secondly, under high pH, —OH competes with phosphate ions for adsorbing the active sites on the surface of the material. In addition, the pH also influences the morphological distribution of the phosphate ions in the solution. In the current study of the La-based adsorption materials, positive ΔpH (ΔpH=equilibrium pH-initial pH) has been considered as an important phenomenon in a ligand exchange mechanism. When the pH of the solution is lower than the zero potential point of the adsorbent, electrostatic attraction and ligand exchange will serve as important mechanisms for the La-based adsorption materials to adsorb the phosphate radical. When the pH of the solution is too high, the electrostatic attraction will become electrostatic repulsion and the ligand exchange will be inhibited. At this time, the Lewis acid-base interaction will predominate in the adsorption, but the overall result is that the adsorption capacity is decreased. However, in this study, the adsorption mechanisms of LN-WB for the phosphate radical are mainly the electrostatic attraction and the ligand exchange. The decrease in the adsorption capacity at high pH is the result of weakening the two effects.

(56) The above only describes preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that, for those ordinary skilled in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and shall belong to the protection scope of the present invention.