Enhanced Cu2+ adsorption ability of grape pomace hydrochar upon alkali modification

Abstract

Grape pomace hydrochar was evaluated as potential adsorbent of Cut from aqueous solution. In order to enhance the adsorption ability, obtained hydrochar was alkali modified using KOH and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Preliminary tests showed that adsorption capacity of hydrochar increased from 8.0 to 38.2 mg/g after alkali modification. It was found that KOH treatment increased the aromatic and oxygen-containing functional groups on hydrochar surface, which might affect the improvement of the Cu removal. The results suggest that KOH-modified hydrochar could be an effective adsorbent of Cu2+ from wastewaters.