Title:
Heavy Metal Removal from Wastewaters by Torrefied Agricultural Biomasses
Author(s):
Bouesso, B., Casali, E., Marchand, M., Lacombe, E., Grateau, M., Barthélémy, S., Billy, E., Demey, H.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Torrefaction of low-cost agricultural residues was evaluated in this work for manufacturing efficient sorbent materials for water treatment applications. Olive stones and almond shells biomasses were torrefied in a continuous pilot-plant facility (multiple hearth furnace) at 350 °C and a residence time of 45 min, respectively. The average input flow rate of the biomasses was 60 kg h-1 (dry basis) during 32 h of working time. The mass losses were estimated as 65% for olive stones and 67 % for almond shells. The sorbents were tested for copper removal from aqueous solutions and the isotherms data were described with the Langmuir model. The maximum sorption capacity was found to be as 10 mg g-1 at pH 4 for both torrefied biomasses. The results were compared with those of the commercial activated carbons, reported in the literature. The main advantages of torrefaction process can be summarized, as follows: i) it could be used for manufacturing promising materials for heavy metal removal; ii) it improves the biomass storage for longer time; iii) it reduces the energy consumption for grinding the sorbent materials.
Keywords:
almond shells, heavy metals, torrefaction, olive stone, sorbents, biomass valorization
Topic:
Biomass Conversion to Bio-Based Products and Chemicals
Subtopic:
Processes for bio-based chemicals and materials
Event:
30th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
6AO.3.3
Pages:
1001 - 1004
ISBN:
978-88-89407-22-6
Paper DOI:
10.5071/30thEUBCE2022-6AO.3.3
Price:
FREE
