Development of a novel and efficient biochar produced from pepper stem for effective ibuprofen removal.

A potential biochar from pepper stems (PS-biochar) was developed via a one-stage pyrolysis process of precursor at 700 °C and employed to adsorb ibuprofen (IBP) in water media. Results showed that PS-biochar was a carbonaceous mesoporous adsorbent with well-developed porosity (S = 727.5 m/g and V = 0.36 cm/g) and rich surface functional groups. Mechanism of IBP adsorption consisted mainly of π- π interaction, pore filling, and H-bonding. The Langmuir monolayer capacity (569.6 mg/g) was very high compared to values reported in similar studies. The successful PS-biochar regeneration after four cycles in the batch system confirmed the high performance of the NaOH (0.1 M) as a desorbing agent. Therefore, the prepared biochar can be considered as a cost-effective and high-performance material for water decontamination.