Treatment performance of agro-industrial biochar adsorption for arsenic-polluted potable water

According to the water resource protection plans published by the European Union (EU), groundwater needs to be protected and sanitized. Groundwater may contain heavy metals in terms of its geological and physicochemical content. These heavy metals can accumulate in the body in the long term and cause significant health problems. One of these heavy metals is arsenic, which is a toxic element that is harmful to human health. Low-cost, porous structure, larger surface area, functional groups, and carbon negative texture have made agro-industrial biochar an effective adsorbent for removing arsenic (As) from groundwater. In order to determine the effect of irrigation on arsenic concentration, samples were taken from the Yaygılı groundwater source in Harran Plain, where arsenic concentration was previously determined, in the pre-irrigation (March) and post-irrigation (October) periods. This study demonstrated that use of malt dust-derived biochar has dual benefits as an arsenic adsorbent and also waste minimization technique in terms of a circular economy approach. On average, an efficiency rate of 98.39% for arsenic removal from potable water has been reported using malt dust-derived biochar in the post-irrigation period. A potable water quality index (PWQI) was developed based on treatment performance and water quality parameters obtained via Monte Carlo simulation. The potable water quality index was in the range of 97.3-99.1% in terms of water remediation by agro-industrial biochar adsorption for arsenic-polluted groundwater. Also, biochar is recyclable and regenerative material. The waste biochar could be regenerated after arsenic adsorption in terms of zero-waste management and circular economy policies.