From waste to resource: King coconut biochar as a green adsorbent for bisphenol A removal

The widespread presence of BPA in water bodies poses significant environmental and health concerns, highlighting the need for sustainable and efficient removal technologies. This study presents an innovative approach for BPA remediation using biochar derived from king coconut shells—a readily availa...

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Main Authors: Hashinika Matharage, Mahesh Jayaweera, Nilanthi Bandara, Jagath Manatunge, Daham Jayawardana, Janith Dissanayake
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-12-01
Series:Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001689
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author Hashinika Matharage
Mahesh Jayaweera
Nilanthi Bandara
Jagath Manatunge
Daham Jayawardana
Janith Dissanayake
author_facet Hashinika Matharage
Mahesh Jayaweera
Nilanthi Bandara
Jagath Manatunge
Daham Jayawardana
Janith Dissanayake
author_sort Hashinika Matharage
collection DOAJ
description The widespread presence of BPA in water bodies poses significant environmental and health concerns, highlighting the need for sustainable and efficient removal technologies. This study presents an innovative approach for BPA remediation using biochar derived from king coconut shells—a readily available agricultural waste and by-product of a popular drink in many parts of Asia. Biochar pyrolyzed at 800 °C exhibited the highest removal efficiency, which was significantly enhanced to 80.1 ± 0.9 % following HCl activation. Further reduction of the particle size from 1.0–4.0 mm to 75–105 μm resulted in complete (100 %) removal of BPA. Batch adsorption experiments revealed optimal removal at pH 3–7, with a dosage of 5.0 g/L and an initial BPA concentration of 100.0 ppm. The adsorption process was best described by the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.99), with a maximum capacity of 39.53 mg/g. Kinetic studies demonstrated that the pseudo-second-order model accurately represented the adsorption dynamics, implying chemisorption as the rate-limiting step. Regeneration experiments using ethanol demonstrated the reusability of the adsorbent, maintaining over 79.6 % removal efficiency after five consecutive cycles. These findings highlight the effectiveness of KBC800–HCl as a sustainable and high-performance adsorbent, demonstrating the broader potential of agricultural waste valorization in environmental remediation.
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spelling doaj-art-860b9937da3a4e669f0a24898f3bc84f2025-08-20T03:35:38ZengElsevierCase Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering2666-01642025-12-011210126110.1016/j.cscee.2025.101261From waste to resource: King coconut biochar as a green adsorbent for bisphenol A removalHashinika Matharage0Mahesh Jayaweera1Nilanthi Bandara2Jagath Manatunge3Daham Jayawardana4Janith Dissanayake5Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, 10400, Sri Lanka; Corresponding author.Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, 10400, Sri LankaDepartment of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, 10250, Sri LankaDepartment of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, 10400, Sri LankaDepartment of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, 10250, Sri LankaNewnop Co. Ltd, 2209, 22nd Floor, Building A, 58-1, Giheung-Ro, Giheung-Gu, Yongin-Si, Gyeong-gi-Do, South Korea; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-Ro, Gwa-nak-Gu, Seoul, 08826, South KoreaThe widespread presence of BPA in water bodies poses significant environmental and health concerns, highlighting the need for sustainable and efficient removal technologies. This study presents an innovative approach for BPA remediation using biochar derived from king coconut shells—a readily available agricultural waste and by-product of a popular drink in many parts of Asia. Biochar pyrolyzed at 800 °C exhibited the highest removal efficiency, which was significantly enhanced to 80.1 ± 0.9 % following HCl activation. Further reduction of the particle size from 1.0–4.0 mm to 75–105 μm resulted in complete (100 %) removal of BPA. Batch adsorption experiments revealed optimal removal at pH 3–7, with a dosage of 5.0 g/L and an initial BPA concentration of 100.0 ppm. The adsorption process was best described by the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.99), with a maximum capacity of 39.53 mg/g. Kinetic studies demonstrated that the pseudo-second-order model accurately represented the adsorption dynamics, implying chemisorption as the rate-limiting step. Regeneration experiments using ethanol demonstrated the reusability of the adsorbent, maintaining over 79.6 % removal efficiency after five consecutive cycles. These findings highlight the effectiveness of KBC800–HCl as a sustainable and high-performance adsorbent, demonstrating the broader potential of agricultural waste valorization in environmental remediation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001689BPA removalEmerging contaminantBiochar pyrolysisWaste valorizationWater treatmentAdsorption isotherm
spellingShingle Hashinika Matharage
Mahesh Jayaweera
Nilanthi Bandara
Jagath Manatunge
Daham Jayawardana
Janith Dissanayake
From waste to resource: King coconut biochar as a green adsorbent for bisphenol A removal
Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
BPA removal
Emerging contaminant
Biochar pyrolysis
Waste valorization
Water treatment
Adsorption isotherm
title From waste to resource: King coconut biochar as a green adsorbent for bisphenol A removal
title_full From waste to resource: King coconut biochar as a green adsorbent for bisphenol A removal
title_fullStr From waste to resource: King coconut biochar as a green adsorbent for bisphenol A removal
title_full_unstemmed From waste to resource: King coconut biochar as a green adsorbent for bisphenol A removal
title_short From waste to resource: King coconut biochar as a green adsorbent for bisphenol A removal
title_sort from waste to resource king coconut biochar as a green adsorbent for bisphenol a removal
topic BPA removal
Emerging contaminant
Biochar pyrolysis
Waste valorization
Water treatment
Adsorption isotherm
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001689
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