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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Sorption Behaviors and Mechanisms of Cadmium
on Polypropylene, Bamboo Biochar, and Rice
Husk Ash in Aqueous Solutions
1
Environmental Technology Program, School of Energy, Environment and Materials, King Mongkut’s University
of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
2
Environmental and Energy Management for Community and Circular Economy (EEC&C) Research Group,
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Submission date: 2025-05-02
Final revision date: 2025-08-30
Acceptance date: 2025-09-13
Online publication date: 2025-12-01
Corresponding author
Suchanya Wongrod
Environmental Technology Program, School of Energy, Environment and Materials, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Environmental Technology Program, School of Energy, Environment and Materials, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the adsorption behavior and mechanisms of cadmium ions (Cd²⁺) from
aqueous solutions on virgin polypropylene (PP0), 1-to-3-week aged polypropylene (PP1, PP2, and
PP3), bamboo biochar (BBC), and rice husk ash (RHA). Adsorption kinetic and isotherm experiments
were conducted to evaluate the performance of each material. Fourier-transform infrared
spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analyses revealed the presence of hydroxyl and carboxyl
functional groups and microporous structures, respectively, on the adsorbent surfaces. The pH of
the point of zero charge analysis indicated that the surfaces of PP0-PP3 carried net negative
charges at a pH solution of 7.0±0.1, whereas BBC and RHA exhibited net positive surface charges
under the same conditions. The adsorption kinetics of Cd by PP0, PP1, PP2, PP3, and BBC followed
the pseudo-second-order model (R2 = 0.951, 0.963, 0.997, 0.996, and 0.999, respectively), suggesting
chemical adsorption as the dominant mechanism. In contrast, the adsorption by RHA was best described
by the pseudo-first-order model (R2 = 0.990), indicating a physical adsorption process. Isotherm
analysis showed that the Freundlich model provided the best fit for PP0-PP3, indicating multilayer
adsorption on the surfaces. For RHA, the Langmuir model was more suitable, with a maximum
adsorption capacity of 815.02 μg/g, implying monolayer adsorption on the surface. Overall,
BBC and RHA demonstrated significantly higher cadmium adsorption capacities compared
to PP0-PP3, likely due to their much greater surface areas, 42 to 56 times higher than that of the
PP. Importantly, this study presents a comparative framework evaluating the sorption behavior
of aged polypropylene microplastics in relation to biomass-based adsorbents, focusing on
surface transformations during environmental aging and their interactions with heavy metals.
These findings confirm the performance of agricultural waste-derived adsorbents and the emerging environmental risks posed by co-contamination from aged microplastics and heavy metals in aquatic
systems.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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