Coexistence of polyethylene microplastics and biochar increases ammonium sorption in an aqueous solution

Biochar is used to remove ammonium (NH4+) from wastewater, where microplastics are emerging pollutants. However, whether microplastics can adsorb NH4+ or how they will affect the sorption of NH4+ by biochars have not been studied. Here, batch sorption kinetics and isotherm experiments were conducted to elucidate the sorption of NH4+ on a manure biochar (MBC), a straw biochar (SBC), a wood sawdust biochar (WBC), a polyethylene microplastic (PE), and their combination. The results showed that PE had a smaller sorption capacity (Qmax = 3.29 mg g−1) but a faster adsorption rate (ks = 0.08 g (mg min)−1) for NH4+ than biochars (Qmax = 5.67 ~ 20.54 mg g−1; ks = 0.02 ~ 0.04 g (mg min)−1). When PE and biochars coexisted in an aqueous solution, the NH4+ sorption capacity was increased by 17.0% in PE+SBC, 7.1% in PE+MBC, and 8.6% in PE+WBC, which likely due to the deprotonation of functional groups and the decreases in small molecular-size dissolved organic carbon. We conclude that microplastics can adsorb NH4+; moreover, they can enhance the NH4+ sorption capacity of biochars. Therefore, when biochar is used for NH4+ removal from wastewater, the interaction of biochar and microplastics needs to be considered. [Display omitted] •Polyethylene microplastics interacts with biochars to increase ammonium sorption.•Increased deprotonation of acid/base functional groups enhances ammonium sorption.•Increased surface negative charges contribute to ammonium sorption.•Polyethylene microplastics adsorbed small molecular-size dissolved organic C (DOC).•Decreased small molecular-size DOC in solution increases ammonium sorption.