Use of Sawdust (Aspidosperma polyneuron) in the Preparation of a Biocarbon-Type Adsorbent Material for Its Potential Use in the Elimination of Cationic Contaminants in Wastewater

Abstract

Chemically modified bioadsorbents were prepared using sawdust (Aspidosperma polyneuron) functionalized with urea at different concentrations (BC-1M, BC-3M, and BC-6M) to evaluate their adsorption capacity by the methylene blue method. Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize the surface morphology of the biomaterials. The best adsorption capacity was obtained using the biocarbon modified with urea 6M (BC-6M), displaying a methylene blue index of 12.4 mg/g with a zero-charge point (pHpzc) at 5.5, suggesting the potential application of this chemically modified bioadsorbent for the removal of cationic contaminants in aqueous media.