A Sustainable Amine Magnetic Biocomposite Based on Rice Husk–Sugarcane Bagasse Fiber for Lead and Contaminant Adsorption in Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Biomass is a material that can be potentially used as a natural fiber resource. Rice husk (RH) and sugarcane bagasse (SB), respectively containing 36.6% and 60% cellulose, are fibers that have the potential for biocomposite formation. In this study, an amine magnetic biocomposite (B-MNH2) was prepared by a one-step solvothermal reaction. Delignified RH and SB fibers at a ratio of 1:1 were added to a mixture of ethylene glycol, iron chloride, and 1,6-hexanediamine, and kept in a stainless steel autoclave reactor at 200 °C for 6 h. The obtained B-MNH2 contained 64.5% of Fe and 2.63 mmol/g of amine. Its surface area increased significantly from 9.11 m2/g to 25.81 m2/g after amine functionalization, and its optimum adsorption for Pb(II) ions was achieved within 360 min at 596.82 mg/g and pH 5. Moreover, the pseudo-first-order mechanism fitted well to the adsorption model. Other parameters, such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solid (TSS), and dye during adsorption were also reduced by about 67.7%, 95.6%, and 89%, respectively. B-MNH2 showed a slight decrease in performance by only 8% after the fourth repeated use. The amine magnetic biocomposite led to the development of a potential adsorbent due to the high surface area, stable material, and easy separation, and was capable of absorbing contaminants from an aqueous solution.