Use of spent coffee ground biochar as ambient PAHs sorbent and novel extraction method for GC-MS analysis

Abstract

© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019. In recent years, biochar has received a significant amount of attention for its potential beneficial applications in various fields due to its bio-physico-chemical properties. The spent coffee ground biochar was prepared by slow pyrolysis for adsorption of 16-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air. New materials and extraction methods were developed for PAHs analysis, particularly for low molecular weight (2–4 rings) PAHs, which are likely to evaporate at room temperature. Production and characterization of biochar and its extraction parameters after PAHs adsorption were investigated and optimized. The biochar production at 500 °C provided adequate quality for PAHs adsorption with a 35% yield. An effective clean-up method for biochar was proposed. A new method of PAHs extraction from biochar was developed using 25 mL of a mixture of dichloromethane and 2-propanol (4:1) for 30 min at low temperatures (5–10 °C). A test on the efficiency of the extraction method was carried out and recoveries of 85–104% of PAHs were obtained. The lab-made biochar was also tested for its potential in ambient PAHs sampling and compared with a commercial sorbent (XAD-2). The results revealed that almost the same concentrations of ambient PAHs (ng/m 3 ) were absorbed by both sorbent types, particularly with regard to the 4 ring-PAHs.