Implementación de biocarbón para la remediación de aguas contaminadas por metales pesados como aporte a la gestión integrada de recursos hídricos en comunidades rurales de Chimborazo

Abstract

Abstract:The presence of cadmium and lead in water represents an environmental and health risk, especially for rural communities that have limited access to treatment technologies. The objective was to evaluate the adsorbent capacity of activated biochar obtained from broad bean shell to remove both metals from aqueous solutions, as a contribution to the integrated management of water resources in Chimborazo. The study was developed on a laboratory scale and included carbonization, acid activation and physicochemical characterization of the material. Adsorption tests were carried out in triplicate, varying the mass, pH and contact time. The optimal mass was 200 mg; the most favorable pH was 6 for cadmium and 5 for lead, although the effect of pH was not significant for the latter. At 30 minutes, maximum removals of 90.31% and 85.99% were achieved, respectively. The pseudo-second-order model presented the best fit, although the process was not exclusively attributed to chemisorption. Due to the use of synthetic solutions, the results will need to be validated in real waters before considering community application.