Single and competitive adsorptions of micropollutants using pristine and alkali-modified biochars from spent coffee grounds

[Display omitted] •Alkali modification improves physicochemical properties of pristine SCG biochars.•Chemisorption is responsible for adsorptions of micropolluants by SCG biochars.•Adsorption isotherms of micropollutants are highly affected by alkali modification.•Log D values play a critical role in removal of micropollutants by SCG biochars.•Alkali-modified SCG biochars exhibit higher adsorption capacities of micropolluants. This study investigated the single and competitive adsorption characteristics of micropollutants using the pristine and alkali-modified spent coffee grounds (SCG) biochars. The alkali modification substantially improved the physicochemical characteristics of the SCG biochars (specific surface area and pore volume), which may have led to differences in the adsorption behaviors of the micropollutants. The pseudo second order model (R2 ≥ 0.990) better described the single and competitive adsorption kinetics than the pseudo first order model (R2 ≥ 0.664). It is evident that chemisorption played a key role in the removal of the micropollutants by the pristine and alkali-modified SCG biochars. The single and competitive adsorptions of the micropollutants were highly dependent on the solution pH and ionic strength since the pore-filling effects, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions governed their removal by the pristine and alkali-modified SCG biochars. The higher removal efficiencies of the micropollutants by the alkali-modified SCG biochars (≥ 44.5%) in the presence of dissolved organic matter compared to the pristine SCG biochars (≤ 18.5%) support the assumption that alkali modification could markedly reinforce the surface structural properties of the SCG biochars related to the adsorption capacities.