Biosorption of Cu2+ from aqueous solution by hydrochar of grape pomace

Abstract

Hydrothermal carbonization is a promising route for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels, adsorbents and specific chemicals. Herein, the evaluation of grape pomace as a precursor to obtain hydrochar, an adsorbent of copper from wastewaters, using hydrothermal conversion was performed. By examining the effect of sorbent dose and contact time, the ability of grape pomace hydrochar to effectively remove copper from aqueous solutions was confirmed. The obtained adsorption isotherms were best described by the Langmuir model. FTIR analysis of samples before and after adsorption supports the proposed mechanism of metal binding onto hydrochar surface.