Abstract
Millions of people do not have access to clean drinking water; thus, cost-efficient water treatment systems are vital. Chemists, environmentalists, technicians, and engineers will be the professionals making breakthroughs in this industry. This laboratory experiment aims to introduce undergraduate students to the removal of pollutants from water using biochar. Specifically, the study explores the kinetics and thermodynamics of methylene blue adsorption onto biochar using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. These general chemistry concepts can readily be observed in real time, as the blue color of the methylene blue solution decreases as it adsorbs on biochar. Students in a pilot course have shown their ability to relate thermodynamics and kinetics to the reaction mechanism in the form of a postlaboratory report.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 4040-4046 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Chemical Education |
| Volume | 100 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 10 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
Keywords
- Applications of Chemistry
- Collaborative/Cooperative Learning
- First-Year Undergraduate/General
- Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary
- Kinetics
- Laboratory Instruction
- Thermodynamics
- UV−Vis Spectroscopy
