Bamboo as an Adsorbent for Removal of Pollutants for Wastewater Treatment

Problem statement

In the fourth industrial revolution era of rapid development and industrialisation, water pollution has emerged as a serious environmental problem. This has resulted in reduced water quality due to the introduction of contaminants such as organic micropollutants and inorganic heavy metal ions.

Executive summary

Utilisation of bamboo as a raw material for wastewater treatment has been increasing in recent years. Researchers have developed a variety of adsorbents derived from bamboo, including bamboo-activated carbon, bamboo biochar and bamboo aerogel among others. Bamboo-based adsorbents are particularly notable due to their exceptional surface area to mass ratio, which allows them to absorb chemicals, minerals, humidity, odours and even electromagnetic waves.

Technology description

Bamboo is a sustainable, low-cost and abundantly available resource. It is high in carbon content and fibrovascular bundles. The unique mechanical properties of bamboo fibres come from their composite structure, in which cellulose fibrils are surrounded by a matrix of mainly lignin and hemicellulose. These characteristics make bamboo suitable for use as an adsorbent. Researchers have developed a variety of adsorbents derived from bamboo, including bamboo-activated carbon, bamboo biochar, and bamboo aerogel among others.
Adsorption is a process in which pollutants are adsorbed onto a solid surface by physical forces and, sometimes, weak chemical bonds. Intermolecular forces of attraction enable some of the solute molecules from the solution to be adsorbed or deposited on the solid surface when a solution containing an absorbable solute comes into contact with a solid that has a highly porous surface structure. Adsorption is considered one of the suitable, versatile, and effective water treatment methods due to its ease of operation and the availability of a wide range of adsorbents.
It has been shown that the adsorption capacity of most bamboo-based adsorbents is high and efficient. Some bamboo adsorbents also show superior recyclability and are reusable.

Market deployment considerations

Environmental considerations