Pyrolysis of Golden Snail Shells (Pomacea canaliculata L.) for Phosphorus Removal from Aqueous Solutions

We are happy to announce that Dr. Hoang Le Thuy Thuy Trang and colleagues recently published their work entitled " Pyrolysis of Golden Snail Shells (Pomacea canaliculata L.) for Phosphorus Removal from Aqueous Solutions" in the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly

Abstract:

Biochar derived from abundant waste biomass has emerged as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional adsorbents. In this study, biochar produced from golden snail shells through a simple pyrolysis process was applied for phosphorus adsorption. The effects of pyrolysis temperature and time on adsorption capacity were investigated. The biochar pyrolyzed at 800 °C for 90 min (B800) exhibited the best adsorption performance. Optimal adsorption conditions were determined to be a pH of 4.0 and an adsorbent dose of 1.6 g L–1. The adsorption of phosphorus onto B800 could be well described by the Langmuir model and the pseudo-first-order model, achieving a maximum adsorption capacity of 63.5 mg g–1 and a rate constant of 0.029 min–1. This study highlights the potential of biochar derived from agricultural waste as a highly efficient and environmentally friendly adsorbent for phosphorus removal. Furthermore, the adsorption mechanism, driven by the electrostatic interaction occurring prior to Ca-P precipitation, was elucidated. The phosphorus adsorbed onto biochar can potentially be recycled as a soil fertilizer.