One-Step Preparation of Novel Mn-Modified Biochar with Mn-Enriched Biomass for Efficient Adsorption of Methylene Blue

Wide application of phytoremediation has resulted in an enormous harvest of metal-enriched biomass, such that a technical scheme for the safe disposal of this bulk hazardous waste is urgently required. Given the extensive application of metal-modified biochar in environmental management and pollution control, a novel Mn-modified biochar was synthesized by one-step pyrolysis of Mn-enriched biomass (named as Mn self-loaded biochar, MSBC). Physicochemical analyses confirmed that MSBC has high-specific surface area (316.38 m(2)center dot g(-1)) and the endogenous Mn from the biomass was successfully loaded on the biochar surface in the form of MnOx (Mn2O3, MnO2, and MnO). The results of adsorption experiments showed the excellent adsorption capacity of MSBC for the methylene blue (MB) adsorption (427.24 mg center dot g(-1) from Langmuir model at 300 mg center dot g(-1) MB concentration). The adsorption isotherms and kinetics revealed that MB removal primarily resulted from chemisorption involving hydrogen bonds between MSBC and MB. This article is the first report of a simple approach for the synthesis of Mn-modified BC from Mn-enriched biomass with demonstrated potential application for MB removal.