In response to the trend toward sustainable management of by-products from the pulp and paper industry as well as plant waste, practical and economical methods are being developed to use them in a way that does not pose a threat to the environment. The main aim of the research was to study the possibility of using lignin and plant biomass as biosorbents for the removal of zinc ions from aqueous solutions. The secondary aim was to build an optimal multilayer system made of biosorbents selected during the research in order to obtain the highest sorption efficiency and to determine the best conditions of the sorption process. The effectiveness of zinc ion sorption was assessed using an appropriate combination of sorbents such as lignin, oat bran, rice husk, chitosan, pectin, sodium alginate, pine bark, coconut fiber and activated carbon, selected on the basis of literature data and the preliminary results of tests carried out using FTIR and AAS. The main component of the sorption system was lignin separated from black liquor. Results indicate that the best Zn sorption system was based on coconut fiber, lignin, and pine bark, for which the maximum sorption efficiency was 95%. The research also showed that the increase in the process temperature, the mass of biosorbents used and the alkaline pH are the factors that increase the efficiency of the sorption. It can be concluded that lignin and plant biomass can be used as ecological sorbents of zinc ions from water solutions. They are safe for the environment, produced from renewable sources, and are by-products or waste materials, which is part of the sustainable development and circular economy currently promoted in the EU.
Biomasa stanowi biodegradowalne frakcje produktów, odpadów i pozostałości z rolnictwa (włączając roślinne i zwierzęce substancje), leśnictwa i po krewnych przemysłów, jak również biodegradowalne frakcje odpadów przemysłowych i rolniczych. W ostatnich latach nastąpił dynamiczny rozwój odnawialnych źródeł energii spowodowany przede wszystkim realizacją zobowiązań międzynarodowych, wynikających z Ramowej Konwencji Narodów Zjednoczonych w sprawie zmian klimatu, stanowiskiem Komisji Europejskiej z 2007 r. oraz wypełnieniem wymogów prawa polskiego. W kontekście strategii Unii Europejskiej dotyczącej kontroli zużycia energii w Europie oraz zwiększenia stosowania energii ze źródeł odnawialnych, biomasa została zaliczona do odnawialnych źródeł energetycznych. Polska, jako członek Unii Europejskiej, a także w ramach realizacji międzynarodowej strategii zrównoważonego rozwoju, zobowiązana jest do wytwarzania energii ze źródeł odnawialnych. Spalanie biomasy w ce lach energetycznych stanowi istotną pozycję w wypełnianiu tych zobowiązań.
EN
Biomass constitutes a biodegradable fraction of products, waste materials and residues from agriculture (inclusive plant and animal substances), forestry and related businesses as well as biodegradable fraction of industrial and agriculture waste materials. In the last years an intense development of renewable energy sources could have been seen as result of international obligations stipulated in United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, standpoint of the European Commission expressed in 2007 and the requirements of Polish law. In the context of the strategy of the European Union concerning control of energy use in Europe and increase of the application of energy from renewable sources, biomass has been classified as renewable energy source. Poland as member of the European Union as well as in the framework of the international strategy of consistent development has the obligation to provide energy from renewable sources. Burning of biomass for energy generation constitutes an important portion in the fulfillment of the obligations.