Superior removal of humic acid from aqueous stream using novel calf bones charcoal nanoadsorbent in a reversible process

While the potable water disinfection regimen has significantly reduced waterborne diseases, development of disinfection byproducts (DBP) during this process has brought a global threat to the environment and human health. The most notorious water pollutant, humic acid (HA), transforms into carcinogenic byproducts during the disinfection process (chlorination) of water treatment. HA removal methods are neither economic nor widely available. This study addresses the most urgent global issue of HA removal by developing an innovative and self-regenerative process based on a low-cost and self-regenerative calf bone char (CBC) that removed 92.1-100% of HA. CBC-based HA removal has not been described yet. The developed CBC, as a super adsorbent of HA, was initially characterized by a scanning electron microscope. Various parameters of adsorption/desorption and self-regeneration of CBC adsorbent were experimentally determined. Results show that prepared CBC with a 112 m