Recyclable 3D-Printed Composite Hydrogel Containing Rice Husk Biochar for Organic Contaminants Adsorption in Tap Water

Abstract

Water and wastewater treatment face significant challenges in removing organic contaminants, and the search for efficient processes and materials is crucial to reducing this issue. Herein, the design and manufacturing of 3D-printed composite hydrogels using a combination of alginate and rice husk biochar was proposed. These composite hydrogels were evaluated as adsorbents for removing ibuprofen (IBU) and methylene blue (MB) from tap water. Various characterization techniques, including FTIR, XRD, SEM, and BET analyses, confirmed the successful formation of the composite hydrogels. Also, the properties of the composite hydrogels, such as total porosity, cross-linking density, and swelling, were found to vary with the biochar content in the composite. Batch experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel containing 10% w/w biochar (Alg/Biochar10) has significant adsorption capacities for IBU (111.4 mg/g) and MB (214.6 mg/g). These values represented substantial increases of 48% (IBU) and 58% (MB) compared to the conventional hydrogel without biochar, highlighting the enhanced performance achieved by incorporating biochar into the composite. The adsorption kinetics of both IBU and MB followed the pseudo-first-order model, while the Freundlich isotherm model provided insights into the adsorption mechanism. Notably, the adsorption of MB on the composite hydrogel was particularly favorable due to electrostatic interactions between the adsorbent and the adsorbate. Furthermore, the composite hydrogel exhibited recyclability and reusability, as demonstrated through 20 reuse cycles, indicating its stability and practical applicability. In summary, the original 3D-printed composite hydrogels manufactured with the alginate/rice husk biochar ink showed great potential as adsorbent materials for organic removal from water and wastewater.

3D bioprinting in bioremediation: a comprehensive review of principles, applications, and future directions

“…Researchers have recently created recyclable 3D printed hydrogel composites that incorporate biochar sourced from rice husk for removing organic contaminants from tap water and have experimentally demonstrated that the hydrogel containing 10% w/w biochar (Alginate/Biochar) demonstrated significant adsorption capacities of 111.4 mg/g for ibuprofen (IBU) and 214.6 mg/g for methylene blue (MB) which represents an increase in adsorption capacities of 48% (IBU) and 58% (MB) compared to conventional hydrogels without biochar. This innovative development highlights the potential of novel composites and underscores the importance of continuing to explore new avenues for improving water quality ( Silva et al, 2023 ).…”

Robust and Elastic Thermoresponsive Hydrogels with High Swelling Properties for Efficient Solar Water Purification

“…Properties. Applying Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, 32 the chemical composition of the DCS-PNIPAm gel was ascertained, as seen in Figure 2a. The presence of isopropyl groups is shown by the characteristic peak at ≈1131 cm −1 , which is recognized as an isopropyl strand vibrational absorption peak.…”

A ternary composite hydrophilic electrospinning membrane containing Au for fast oil–water separation and antibiotics degradation

“…The organic polluting wastewater also causes a serious of problems in environmental pollution and economic loss 5–10 and poses a big threat to the ecological environment 11,12 . Compared with the biodegradation, chemical coagulation, combustion method, and gravity sedimentation, 13–15 membrane separation displaying the merits in convenient operation, environmentally friendly, and high separation efficiency has become an effective strategy in oil–water separation and spilled‐oil recovery in recent years 16–22 . However, the practical wastewater usually contains complex compositions, such as different types of oils, organic pollutants, heavy metal residues, antibiotics, and bacteria.…”