Preparation of biochar/alginate hydrogel beads and their enhanced Cd2⁺ removal performance: study on properties and synergistic mechanisms.

Alginate-based composites have been widely studied for heavy metal removal. However, systematic exploration of the synergistic effects between pre-chemically modified biochar and the alginate matrix to enhance adsorption performance remains insufficient. This gap limits the rational design of high-performance adsorbents. To address this gap, this study developed composite gel beads (PBS-SA) based on sulfuric acid-modified pine cone biochar (PBS) and sodium alginate for the efficient removal of Cd2⁺ from aqueous solutions. The material was characterized using a series of techniques, including SEM-EDS, BET, FTIR, XRD, and XPS. The characterization revealed that PBS-SA possesses a stable three-dimensional network structure, with significantly enhanced chelating sites due to the introduced sulfur-containing and carboxyl functional groups. The adsorption behavior followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model (R2 = 0.999) and the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.995). The Langmuir model predicted a maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) of 143.75 mg/g。 The primary adsorption mechanisms involved were ion exchange, complexation, precipitation, and electrostatic attraction. PBS-SA exhibited strong interference resistance in real water bodies, demonstrating good tolerance to monovalent ion interference. Its unique spherical macroscopic morphology effectively addressed the issue of powder adsorbent loss, maintaining high adsorption performance after six regeneration cycles. Furthermore, excellent continuous-flow removal efficiency was achieved in fixed-bed column experiments. This study develops a mechanically stable and reusable adsorbent capable of enhancing Cd removal through the combination of multiple mechanisms, providing a practical strategy for treating heavy metal-contaminated water.