Evaluation of the efficiency of raw bagasse and biochar adsorbents in removing heavy metals from drilling mud wastes of Mishan Formation

Abstract

Introduction: Oil-well drilling operations lead to the dissemination of heavy metals into the
environment with numerous adverse effects on various components of the environment and
living beings. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficiency of raw bagasse and
biochar adsorbents in removing heavy metals from drilling mud wastes of the Mishan
Formation.
Materials & Methods: For this purpose, the drilling mud waste of Mishan Formation was
submitted to chemical digestion, followed by blending with raw bagasse and biochar adsorbents
according to the experimental design. The percentage removal of barium, nickel, vanadium,
and cadmium was calculated and statistical analysis, analysis of variance, and comparison of
means were performed using the Duncan test at the 5% level.
Results: The results of analysis of variance of the parameters influencing the removal
percentage showed that contact time had the greatest contribution to the removal efficiency of
vanadium and cadmium. The amount and type of absorbent were also recognized as the most
effective parameters in the removal of barium and nickel, respectively. Based on the results of
contact time, the maximum percentage removal was observed at 60 min for nickel and
cadmium, at 120 min for barium and vanadium.
Conclusion: According to the maximum removal percentage of nickel, cadmium, vanadium
and barium (98.37%, 96.53%, 96.93% and 87.98%, respectively), the use of crude bagasse and
biochar adsorbents in the Heavy metals removal process can be used as an effective technique
to reduce the risks of these pollutants and preserve the animal, plant and ... environment.