Ammonium contamination in water is a major concern worldwide. This study focuses on the removal of ammonium from aqueous solution by batch adsorption experiments using biochar derived from a combination of various wood chips (spruce, pine, and fir). Adsorption characteristics of ammonium onto biochar were evaluated as a function of biochar dosages, initial concentrations of ammonium, contact time and pH. Results demonstrated that ammonium removal increased with the increase of biochar dosage. The percentage of ammonium removal reached a value of 80% at a biochar dosage of 100 g/L. Ammonium removal decreased by 15% with the increase of initial ammonium concentration by 50 mg/L. The optimum pH for ammonium removal was considered in the range from 6 to 8. Ammonium removal reached its stable value within 3 days. The maximum adsorption capacity of ammonium was 0.96 mg/g for 80 mg/L of initial ammonium concentration. The adsorption isotherm followed both the Langmuir and Freundich models for ammonium adsorption onto biochar. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results indicated the presence of amine, amide and nitrile functional groups on the surface of biochar which could contribute to the adsorption of ammonium onto biochar. Thus, biochar derived from various wood chips showed the potential to remove ammonium from aqueous solution.
is a professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering (ECSE) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he teaches courses on electromagnetics, electronics and instrumentation, plasma physics, electric power, and general engineering. His research involves plasma physics, electromagnetics, photonics, biomedical sensors, engineering education, diversity in the engineering workforce, and technology enhanced learning. He learned problem solving from his father (who ran a gray iron foundry), his mother (a nurse) and grandparents (dairy farmers). He has had the great good fortune to always work with amazing people, most recently professors teaching circuits and electronics from 13 HBCU ECE programs and the faculty, staff and students of the Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications (LESA) ERC, where he is Education Director. He was RPI ECSE Department Head from 2001 to 2008 and served on the board of the ECE Department Heads Association (ECEDHA) from 2003 to 2008. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.