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Lin J, Xu Z, Zhang Q, Cao Y, Mašek O, Lei H, Tsang DCW. Enhanced adsorption of aromatic VOCs on hydrophobic porous biochar produced via microwave rapid pyrolysis. Bioresour Technol 2024; 393:130085. [PMID: 37993065 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
To customize biochar suitable for efficient adsorption of benzene derivatives, this study presents programmed microwave pyrolysis to produce hydrophobic porous biochar with low-dose ferric chloride. Designated control of the ramping rates in the carbonization stage and the temperatures in the activation stage were conducive to enlarging the specific surface area. Iron species, including amorphous iron minerals, could create small-scale hotspots during microwave pyrolysis to promote microporous structure development. Compared with conventional pyrolysis, programmed microwave pyrolysis could increase the specific surface area from 288.6 m2 g-1 to 455.9 m2 g-1 with a short heating time (15 min vs. 2 h) under 650 °C. Engineered biochar exhibited higher adsorption capacity for benzene and toluene (136.6 and 94.6 mg g-1), and lower adsorption capacity for water vapour (6.2 mg g-1). These findings provide an innovative design of engineered biochar for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhao Lin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Zibo Xu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qiaozhi Zhang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 1 Engineering Drive 2, 117576, Singapore
| | - Yang Cao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Hanwu Lei
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Richland, WA 99354-1671, USA
| | - Daniel C W Tsang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
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2
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Bautista Quispe JI, Campos LC, Mašek O, Bogush A. Removal of anionic surfactant from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto biochars: characterisation, kinetics, and mechanism. Environ Technol 2024:1-22. [PMID: 38252776 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2024.2304677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Biochar, a waste biomass-derived adsorbent, holds promise for decentralised wastewater treatment. However, limited research exists on its efficacy in adsorbing anionic surfactants in wastewater. To address this, the adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), a common anionic surfactant, was studied using various biochar types: rice husk biochar (RH-550 and RH-700), wheat straw biochar (WS-550 and WS-700) produced at 550°C and 700°C, wood-based biochar (OB), and activated carbon (AC) as a control. The study investigated the impact of pH (3-9), adsorbent loading (1-10 g/L), adsorbent size (<0.5-2.5 mm), contact time (5-180 min), and initial concentration (50-200 mg/L) on SDS removal. Under optimised conditions (100 mg/L SDS, 4 g/L adsorbent, 1-2 mm particle size, pH 8.3, and 180 min contact time), maximum SDS removals were RH-550 (78%), RH-700 (82.4%), WS-550 (89.5%), WS-700 (90.4%), AC (97%), and OB (88.4%). Among the tested adsorbent materials, WS-550 exhibited the highest SDS adsorption capacity at 66.23 mg/g compared to AC (80.65 mg/g), followed by RH-550 (49.75 mg/g), OB (45.87 mg/g), RH-700 (43.67 mg/g), and WS-700 (42.74 mg/g). SDS adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating chemisorption on the adsorbent surface. The Freundlich isotherm model exhibited a better fit for the experimental data on SDS adsorption using all tested adsorbents except for RH-550. This study showed that biochars produced from agricultural and forestry residues are effective adsorbents for SDS in aqueous solutions and can be a promising sustainable and low-cost material for the treatment of greywater containing anionic surfactants (e.g. handwashing, laundry, kitchen, and bathroom greywaters).
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Affiliation(s)
- J I Bautista Quispe
- Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
| | - L C Campos
- Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - O Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A Bogush
- Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
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3
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Moore J, Jayakumar A, Soldatou S, Mašek O, Lawton LA, Edwards C. Nature-Based Solution to Eliminate Cyanotoxins in Water Using Biologically Enhanced Biochar. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:16372-16385. [PMID: 37856890 PMCID: PMC10620996 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and high eutrophication levels of freshwater sources are increasing the occurrence and intensity of toxic cyanobacterial blooms in drinking water supplies. Conventional water treatment struggles to eliminate cyanobacteria/cyanotoxins, and expensive tertiary treatments are needed. To address this, we have designed a sustainable, nature-based solution using biochar derived from waste coconut shells. This biochar provides a low-cost porous support for immobilizing microbial communities, forming biologically enhanced biochar (BEB). Highly toxic microcystin-LR (MC-LR) was used to influence microbial colonization of the biochar by the natural lake-water microbiome. Over 11 months, BEBs were exposed to microcystins, cyanobacterial extracts, and live cyanobacterial cells, always resulting in rapid elimination of toxins and even a 1.6-1.9 log reduction in cyanobacterial cell numbers. After 48 h of incubation with our BEBs, the MC-LR concentrations dropped below the detection limit of 0.1 ng/mL. The accelerated degradation of cyanotoxins was attributed to enhanced species diversity and microcystin-degrading microbes colonizing the biochar. To ensure scalability, we evaluated BEBs produced through batch-scale and continuous-scale pyrolysis, while also guaranteeing safety by maintaining toxic impurities in biochar within acceptable limits and monitoring degradation byproducts. This study serves as a proof-of-concept for a sustainable, scalable, and safe nature-based solution for combating toxic algal blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Moore
- CyanoSol,
School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert
Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7AQ, U.K.
| | - Anjali Jayakumar
- School
of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1
7RU, U.K.
- UK Biochar
Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, U.K.
| | - Sylvia Soldatou
- CyanoSol,
School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert
Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7AQ, U.K.
- Marine
Biodiscovery Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 1HG, U.K.
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar
Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, U.K.
| | - Linda A Lawton
- CyanoSol,
School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert
Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7AQ, U.K.
| | - Christine Edwards
- CyanoSol,
School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert
Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7AQ, U.K.
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4
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Lin L, Qin J, Zhang Y, Yin J, Guo G, Khan MA, Liu Y, Liu Q, Wang Q, Chang K, Mašek O, Wang J, Hu S, Ma W, Li X, Gouda SG, Huang Q. Assessing the suitability of municipal sewage sludge and coconut bran as breeding medium for Oryza sativa L. seedlings and developing a standardized substrate. J Environ Manage 2023; 344:118644. [PMID: 37478717 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
The utilization of organic solid waste (OSW) for preparing standardized seedling substrates is a main challenge due to its temporal and spatial variability. This study aims to form models based on data from the literature and validate them through experiments to explore a standardized seedling substrate. The typical OSW in Hainan Province, including municipal sewage sludge (MSS), coconut bran (CB), seaweed mud (SM), and municipal sewage sludge biochar (MSSB), was used as raw material. A series of six mixing ratios was tested, namely: T1 (0% MSS: 90% CB), T2 (10% MSS: 80% CB), T3 (30% MSS: 60% CB), T4 (50% MSS: 40% CB), T5 (70% MSS: 20% CB), and T6 (90% MSS: 0% CB). SM and MSSB were added as amendment materials at 5% (w/w) for each treatment. The physicochemical properties of substrates, agronomic traits of rice seedlings and microbial diversity were analyzed. The results showed that the four kinds of OSW played an active role in providing rich sources of nutrients. The dry weight of the above-ground part was 2.98 times greater in T3 than that of the commercial substrate. Furthermore, the microbial analysis showed a higher abundance of Actinobacteria in T3, representing the stability of the composted products. Finally, the successful fitting of the results with the linear regression models could establish relationship equations between the physicochemical properties of the substrate and the growth characteristics of seedlings. The relevant parameters suitable for the growth of rice seedlings were as follows: pH (6.46-7.01), EC (less than 2.12 mS cm-1), DD (0.13-0.16 g cm-3), and TPS (65.68-82.73%). This study proposed relevant parameters and models for standardization of seedling substrate, which would contribute to ensuring the quality of seedlings and OSW resource utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linyi Lin
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Jiemin Qin
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China; School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Jiaxin Yin
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Genmao Guo
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Muhammad Amjad Khan
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Yin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Quan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Qingqing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Kenlin Chang
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 804, Taiwan
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Junfeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Shan Hu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Wenchao Ma
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Xiaohui Li
- Hainan Inspection and Detection Center for Modern Agriculture, Haikou, 570100, China
| | - Shaban G Gouda
- Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Benha, 13736, Egypt
| | - Qing Huang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ the Academician He Hong's Team Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province/ Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Haikou, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China.
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5
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He M, Cao Y, Fan Y, Mašek O, Clark JH, Tsang DCW. Revealing roles of CO 2 and N 2 in pressurized hydrothermal carbonization process for enhancing energy recovery and carbon sequestration. Bioresour Technol 2023; 385:129429. [PMID: 37392964 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
In this study, CO2- and N2-pressurized hydrothermal carbonization processes were investigated to understand the catalytic effects of CO2 on hydrochar production and its quality (e.g., surface properties, energy recovery, and combustion behaviour). Both CO2- and N2-pressurized HTC processes could enhance the energy recovery (from 61.5% to 63.0-67.8%) in hydrochar by enhancing the dehydration reactions. Nonetheless, the two systems exhibited contrasting trends in volatile release, oxygen removal, and combustion performance as a function of increasing pressure. High N2 pressure enhanced deoxygenation reaction, facilitating the release of volatiles and increasing the hydrochar aromaticity and combustion activation energy (172.7 kJ/mol for HC/5N). Without the contribution of CO2, excessively high pressure may cause an adverse impact on the fuel performance owing to higher oxidation resistance. This study presents an important and feasible strategy to utilise CO2-rich flue gas in the HTC process to produce high-quality hydrochar for renewable energy and carbon recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjing He
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yinzheng Fan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Crew Building, EH9 3FF, Edinburgh, UK
| | - James H Clark
- Circa Renewable Chemistry Institute, Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, University of York, York YO105DD, UK
| | - Daniel C W Tsang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
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6
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Sun J, Benavente V, Jansson S, Mašek O. Comparative characterisation and phytotoxicity assessment of biochar and hydrochar derived from municipal wastewater microalgae biomass. Bioresour Technol 2023; 386:129567. [PMID: 37506941 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Microalgae, originating from a tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater, is considered a sustainable feedstock for producing biochar and hydrochar, offering great potential for agricultural use due to nutrient content and carbon storage ability. However, there are risks related to contamination and these need to be carefully assessed to ensure safe use of material from wastewater microalgae. Therefore, this study compared the properties and phototoxicity of biochar and hydrochar produced via pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) of microalgae under different temperatures and residence times. While biochar promoted germination and seedling growth by up to 11.0% and 70.0%, respectively, raw hydrochar showed strong phytotoxicity, due to the high content of volatile matter. Two post-treatments, dichloromethane (DCM) washing and further pyrolysis, proved to be effective methods for mitigating phytotoxicity of hydrochar. Additionally, biochar had 35.8-38.6% fixed carbon, resulting in higher carbon sequestration potential compared to hydrochar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Sun
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK.
| | - Veronica Benavente
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden; RISE Processum AB, SE-89122 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
| | - Stina Jansson
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
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Guo G, Lin L, Jin F, Mašek O, Huang Q. Application of heavy metal immobilization in soil by biochar using machine learning. Environ Res 2023; 231:116098. [PMID: 37172676 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Biochar application is a promising strategy for the immobilization of heavy metal (HM)-contaminated soil, while it is always time-consuming and labor-intensive to clarify key influenced factors of soil HM immobilization by biochar. In this study, four machine learning algorithms, namely random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVR), Gradient boosting decision trees (GBDT), and Linear regression (LR) are employed to predict the HMimmobilization ratio. The RF was the best-performance ML model (Training R2 = 0.90, Testing R2 = 0.85, RMSE = 4.4, MAE = 2.18). The experiment verification based on the optimal RF model showed that the experiment verification was successful, as the results were comparable to the RF modeling results with a prediction error<20%. Shapley additive explanation and partial least squares path model method were used to identify the critical factors and direct and indirect effects of these features on the immobilization ratio. Furthermore, independent models of four HM (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) also achieved better model prediction performance. Feature importance and interactions relationship of influenced factors for individual HM immobilization ratio was clarified. This work can provide a new insight for HM immobilization in soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genmao Guo
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Linyi Lin
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Fangming Jin
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Qing Huang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
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8
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Papadopoulou K, Tarani E, Ainali NM, Chrissafis K, Wurzer C, Mašek O, Bikiaris DN. The Effect of Biochar Addition on Thermal Stability and Decomposition Mechanism of Poly(butylene succinate) Bionanocomposites. Molecules 2023; 28:5330. [PMID: 37513203 PMCID: PMC10384878 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28145330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In the present study, poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu) and its bionanocomposites containing 1, 2.5, and 5 wt.% biochar (MSP700) were prepared via in situ melt polycondensation in order to investigate the thermal stability and decomposition mechanism of the materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were carried out to analyze the surface area of a biochar sample and PBSu/biochar nanocomposites. From XPS, it was found that only physical interactions were taking place between PBSu matrix and biochar nanoadditive. Thermal stability, decomposition kinetics, and the decomposition mechanism of the pristine PBSu and PBSu/biochar nanocomposites were thoroughly studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). TGA thermograms depicted that all materials had high thermal stability, since their decomposition started at around 300 °C. However, results indicated a slight reduction in the thermal stability of the PBSu biochar nanocomposites because of the potential catalytic impact of biochar. Py-GC/MS analysis was employed to examine, in more detail, the thermal degradation mechanism of PBSu nanocomposites filled with biochar. From the decomposition products identified by Py-GC/MS after pyrolysis at 450 °C, it was found that the decomposition pathway of the PBSu/biochar nanocomposites took place mainly via β-hydrogen bond scission, which is similar to that which took place for neat PBSu. However, at higher biochar content (5 wt.%), some localized differences in the intensity of the peaks of some specific thermal degradation products could be recognized, indicating that α-hydrogen bond scission was also taking place. A study of the thermal stability and decomposition pathway of PBSu/biochar bionanocomposites is crucial to examine if the new materials fulfill the requirements for further investigation for mulch films in agriculture or in electronics as possible applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Papadopoulou
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evangelia Tarani
- Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Devices, Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Nina Maria Ainali
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Chrissafis
- Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Devices, Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Christian Wurzer
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Dimitrios N Bikiaris
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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Guo G, He Y, Jin F, Mašek O, Huang Q. Application of life cycle assessment and machine learning for the production and environmental sustainability assessment of hydrothermal bio-oil. Bioresour Technol 2023; 379:129027. [PMID: 37030420 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The hydrothermal bio-oil (HBO) production from biomass conversion can achieve sustainable and low-carbon development. It is always time-consuming and labor-intensive to quantitative relationship between influential variables and bio-oil yield and environmental sustainability impact in the hydrothermal conditions. Machine learning was used to predict bio-oil yield. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is further conducted to assess its environmental sustainability effect. The results demonstrated that gradient boosting decision tree regression (GBDT) have the most optimal prediction performance for the HBO yield (Training R2 = 0.97, Testing R2 = 0.92, RMSE = 0.05, MAE = 0.03). Lipid content is the most significant influential factor for HBO yield. LCA result further suggested that 1 kg of bio-oil production can cause 0.02 kg ep of SO2, 2.05 kg ep of CO2, and 0.01 kg ep of NOx emission, and environmental sustainability assessment of HBO is exhibited. This study provides meaningful insights to ML model prediction performance improvement and carbon footprint of HBO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genmao Guo
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/ Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/ State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Yuan He
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/ Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/ State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Fangming Jin
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/ Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/ State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Qing Huang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/ Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/ State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/ College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
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10
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G Díaz-Maroto C, Sáenz de Miera B, Collado L, Fermoso J, Mašek O, Pizarro P, Serrano DP, Moreno I, Fermoso J. Removal of NO at low concentration from air in urban built environments by activated miscanthus biochar. J Environ Manage 2023; 336:117610. [PMID: 36967688 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This work presents an innovative and sustainable approach to remove NO emissions from urban ambient air in confined areas (underground parking areas or tunnels) using low-cost activated carbons obtained from Miscanthus biochar (MSP700) by physical activation (with CO2 or steam) at temperatures ranging from 800 to 900 °C. The NO removal capacity of the activated biochars was evaluated under different conditions (temperature, humidity and oxygen concentration) and compared against a commercial activated carbon. This last material showed a clear dependence on oxygen concentration and temperature, exhibiting a maximum capacity of 72.6% in air at 20 °C, whilst, its capacity notably decreased at higher temperatures, revealing that physical NO adsorption is the limiting step for the commercial sample that presents limited oxygen surface functionalities. In contrast, MSP700-activated biochars reached nearly complete NO removal (99.9%) at all tested temperatures in air ambient. Those MSP700-derived carbons only required low oxygen concentration (4 vol%) in the gas stream to achieve the full NO removal at 20 °C. Moreover, they also showed an excellent performance in the presence of H2O, reaching NO removal higher than 96%. This remarkable activity results from the abundance of basic oxygenated surface groups, which act as active sites for NO/O2 adsorption, along with the presence of a homogeneous microporosity of 6 Å, which enables intimate contact between NO and O2. These features promote the oxidation of NO to NO2, which is further retained over the carbon surface. Therefore, the activated biochars studied here could be considered promising materials for the efficient removal of NO at low concentrations from air at moderate temperatures, thus closely approaching real-life conditions in confined spaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos G Díaz-Maroto
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de La Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Blanca Sáenz de Miera
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de La Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Collado
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Photoactivated Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de La Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose Fermoso
- Natural Resources and Climate Area, CARTIF Technology Centre, Parque Tecnológico de Boecillo, 205, 47151, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Patricia Pizarro
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de La Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - David P Serrano
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de La Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Inés Moreno
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de La Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Fermoso
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de La Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.
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11
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Wang Q, Wei S, Zhou Y, Mašek O, Khan MA, Li D, Liu Q, Liu Y, Lu W, Su X, Zhu Z, Zhao X, Bai Y, Li X, Jin F, Wang J, Huang Q. Rhizosphere effect on the relationship between dissolved organic matter and functional genes in contaminated soil. J Environ Manage 2023; 342:118118. [PMID: 37196617 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic contamination in a mining area is a potential threat to the local population. In the context of one-health, biological pollution in contaminated soil should be known and understandable. This study was conducted to clarify the effects of amendments on arsenic species and potential threat factors (e.g., arsenic-related genes (AMGs), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and heavy-metal resistance genes (MRGs)). Ten groups (control (CK), T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, and T9) were set up by adding different ratio of organic fertilizer, biochar, hydroxyapatite and plant ash. The maize crop was grown in each treatment. Compared with CK, the bioavailability of arsenic was reduced by 16.2%-71.8% in the rhizosphere soil treatments, and 22.4%-69.2% in the bulk soil treatments, except for T8. The component 2 (C2), component 3 (C3) and component 5 (C5) of dissolved organic matter (DOM) increased by 22.6%-72.6%, 16.8%-38.1%, 18.4%-37.1%, respectively, relative to CK in rhizosphere soil. A total of 17 AMGs, 713 AGRs and 492 MRGs were detected in remediated soil. The humidification of DOM might directly correlate with MRGs in both soils, while it was influenced directly on ARGs in bulk soil. This may be caused by the rhizosphere effect, which affects the interaction between microbial functional genes and DOM. These findings provide a theoretical basis for regulating soil ecosystem function from the perspective of arsenic contaminated soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Shiyang Wei
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Muhammad Amjad Khan
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Dong Li
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Quan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Yin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Wenkang Lu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Xuesong Su
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Zhiqiang Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Xiaojun Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Yang Bai
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China; China College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Xiaohui Li
- Hainan Inspection and Detection Center for Modern Agriculture, Haikou, Hainan, 570100, China
| | - Fangming Jin
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Junfeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Qing Huang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province/Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province/School of Ecology & Environment/State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea/Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, China.
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12
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G Díaz-Maroto C, Mašek O, Pizarro P, Serrano DP, Moreno I, Fermoso J. Removal of NO at low concentrations from polluted air in semi-closed environments by activated biochars from renewables feedstocks. J Environ Manage 2023; 341:118031. [PMID: 37167696 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Efficient measures are urgently required in large cities for nitric oxide (NO) elimination from air in urban semi-closed environments (parking lots and tunnels), characterized by low NO concentrations (<10 ppmv) and temperatures. One of the most promising abatement alternatives is the NO oxidation to NO2, which can be further easily captured in an alkali solution or over a porous solid. However, most of the research devoted to this topic is focused on the elimination of NO from fuel exhaust gases, with high NO concentrations (400-2000 ppmv). In this work, sustainable and low-cost activated biochars of different origin and having very different ash contents were employed in NO removal at very low concentrations. Thus, low ash content forestry (oak woodchips, OAK) and high ash content from agriculture (oilseed rape straw, OSR) biochars were subjected to physical activation with CO2 at 900 °C (OAK550-A900CO2 and OSR700-A900CO2, respectively). The NO removal performance tests of such activated carbons were carried out at different experimental conditions: i.e., temperature, relative humidity (0-50 vol% RH), NO-containing gas (N2 or air), amount of activated carbon, and NO concentration, to assess how the activated biochar properties influence their NO removal capacity. The sample OSR700-A900CO2 contained a higher population of oxygen surface functionalities, which might play an important role in the NO removal efficiency in dry conditions since they could assist NO oxidation on carbon active sites when used above room temperature (50-75 °C). However, at room temperature (25 °C), the presence of narrow micropore size distribution at 6 Å became a more relevant property, since it facilitates an intimate contact between NO and O2. Accordingly, the activated biochar from OAK was much more efficient, achieving complete removal of NO from air flow (dry or with 50 vol% RH) at 25 °C during 400 min of testing, making it an ideal candidate as biofilter for purifying air streams of semi-closed spaces contaminated with low concentrations of NO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos G Díaz-Maroto
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Patricia Pizarro
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - David P Serrano
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Inés Moreno
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Fermoso
- Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Avda. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.
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Papadopoulou K, Tarani E, Chrissafis K, Mašek O, Bikiaris DN. Non-Isothermal Crystallization Kinetics of PBSu/Biochar Composites Studied by Isoconversional and Model Fitting Methods. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15071603. [PMID: 37050217 PMCID: PMC10096745 DOI: 10.3390/polym15071603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-isothermal crystallization of Poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu)/biochar composites was studied at various constant cooling rates using differential scanning calorimetry. The analysis of the kinetics data revealed that the overall crystallization rate and activation energy of the PBSu polymer were significantly influenced by the addition of biochar. Specifically, the PBSu/5% biochar composite with a higher filler content was more effective as a nucleation agent in the polymer matrix, as indicated by the nucleation activity (ψ) value of 0.45. The activation energy of the PBSu/5% biochar composite was found to be higher than that of the other compositions, while the nucleation activity of the PBSu/biochar composites decreased as the biochar content increased. The Avrami equation, which is commonly used to describe the kinetics of crystallization, was found to be limited in accurately predicting the non-isothermal crystallization behavior of PBSu and PBSu/biochar composites. Although the Nakamura/Hoffman-Lauritzen model performed well overall, it may not have accurately predicted the crystallization rate at the end of the process due to the possibility of secondary crystallization. Finally, the combination of the Šesták-Berggren model with the Hoffman-Lauritzen theory was found to accurately predict the crystallization behavior of the PBSu/biochar composites, indicating a complex crystallization mechanism involving both nucleation and growth. The Kg parameter of neat PBSu was found to be 0.7099 K2, while the melting temperature and glass transition temperature of neat PBSu were found to be 114.91 °C and 35 °C, respectively, very close to the measured values. The Avrami nucleation dimension n was found to 2.65 for PBSu/5% biochar composite indicating that the crystallization process is complex in the composites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Papadopoulou
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evangelia Tarani
- Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Devices, Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Chrissafis
- Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Devices, Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Dimitrios N Bikiaris
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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14
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Papadopoulou K, Klonos PA, Kyritsis A, Mašek O, Wurzer C, Tsachouridis K, Anastasiou AD, Bikiaris DN. Synthesis and Study of Fully Biodegradable Composites Based on Poly(butylene succinate) and Biochar. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15041049. [PMID: 36850331 PMCID: PMC9960386 DOI: 10.3390/polym15041049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Biodegradable polymers offer a promising alternative to the global plastic problems and especially in the last decade, to the microplastics problems. For the first time, samples of poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu) biocomposites containing 1, 2.5, and 5 wt% biochar (BC) were prepared by in situ polymerization via the two-stage melt polycondensation procedure. BC was used as a filler for the PBSu to improve its mechanical properties, thermal transitions, and biodegradability. The structure of the synthesized polymers was examined by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) along with an estimation of the molecular weights, while differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and light flash analysis (LFA) were also employed to record the thermal transitions and evaluate the thermal conductivity, respectively. It was found that the amount of BC does not affect the molecular weight of PBSu biocomposites. The fine dispersion of BC, as well as the increase in BC content in the polymeric matrix, significantly improves the tensile and impact strengths. The DSC analysis results showed that BC facilitates the crystallization of PBSu biocomposites. Due to the latter, a mild and systematic increase in thermal diffusivity and conductivity was recorded indicating that BC is a conductive material. The molecular mobility of PBSu, local and segmental, does not change significantly in the biocomposites, whereas the BC seems to cause an increase in the overall dielectric permittivity. Finally, it was found that the enzymatic hydrolysis degradation rate of biocomposites increased with the increasing BC content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Papadopoulou
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Panagiotis A. Klonos
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Physics, Zografou Campus, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, Greece
- Correspondence: (P.A.K.); (D.N.B.); Tel.: +30-2310997812 (D.N.B.)
| | - Apostolos Kyritsis
- Department of Physics, Zografou Campus, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, Greece
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK BC Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Christian Wurzer
- UK BC Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | | | | | - Dimitrios N. Bikiaris
- Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
- Correspondence: (P.A.K.); (D.N.B.); Tel.: +30-2310997812 (D.N.B.)
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15
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Khan MA, Huang Q, Khan S, Wang Q, Huang J, Fahad S, Sajjad M, Liu Y, Mašek O, Li X, Wang J, Song X. Abundance, spatial distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in agricultural soils and their relationship with contributing factors. J Environ Manage 2023; 328:117006. [PMID: 36521215 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Agro-ecosystem contamination with microplastics (MPs) is of great concern. However, limited research has been conducted on the agricultural soil of tropical regions. This paper investigated MPs in the agro-ecosystem of Hainan Island, China, as well as their relationships with plastic mulching, farming practices, and social and environmental factors. The concentration of MPs in the study area ranged from 2800 to 82500 particles/kg with a mean concentration of 15461.52 particles/kg. MPs with sizes between 20 and 200 μm had the highest abundance of 57.57%, fragment (58.16%) was the most predominant shape, while black (77.76%) was the most abundant MP colour. Polyethylene (PE) (71.04%) and polypropylene (PP) (19.83%) were the main types of polymers. The mean abundance of MPs was significantly positively correlated (p < 0.01) with all sizes, temperature, and shapes except fibre, while weakly positively correlated with the population (p = 0.21), GDP (p = 0.33), and annual precipitation (p = 0.66). In conclusion, plastic mulching contributed to significant contamination of soil MPs in the study area, while environmental and social factors promoted soil MPs fragmentation. The current study results indicate serious contamination with MPs, which poses a concern regarding ecological and environmental safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Amjad Khan
- College of Ecology and Environment, Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China; Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan
| | - Qing Huang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
| | - Sardar Khan
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan
| | - Qingqing Wang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Jingjing Huang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Shah Fahad
- Department of Agronomy, The University of Haripur, Haripur, 22620, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Sajjad
- College of Ecology and Environment, Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Yin Liu
- College of Ecology and Environment, Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, Crew Building, The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Xiaohui Li
- Hainan Inspection and Detection Center for Modern Agriculture, Haikou, 570100, China
| | - Junfeng Wang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Xiaomao Song
- Pujin Environmental Engineering (Hainan) Co., Ltd. Haikou, 570125, China
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16
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Wurzer C, Oesterle P, Jansson S, Mašek O. Hydrothermal recycling of carbon absorbents loaded with emerging wastewater contaminants. Environ Pollut 2023; 316:120532. [PMID: 36323358 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Adsorption using carbon materials is one of the most efficient techniques for removal of emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals from wastewater. However, high costs are a major hurdle for their large-scale application in areas currently under economic constraints. While most research focuses on decreasing the adsorbent price by increasing its capacity, treatment costs for exhausted adsorbents and their respective end-of-life scenarios are often neglected. Here, we assessed a novel technique for recycling of exhausted activated biochars based on hydrothermal treatment at temperatures of 160-320 °C. While a treatment temperature of 280 °C was sufficient to fully degrade all 10 evaluated pharmaceuticals in solution, when adsorbed on activated biochars certain compounds were shielded and could not be fully decomposed even at the highest treatment temperature tested. However, the use of engineered biochar doped with Fe-species successfully increased the treatment efficiency, resulting in full degradation of all 10 parent compounds at 320 °C. The proposed recycling technique showed a high carbon retention in biochar with only minor losses, making the treatment a viable candidate for environmentally sound recycling of biochars. Recycled biochars displayed potentially beneficial structural changes ranging from an increased mesoporosity to additional oxygen bearing functional groups, providing synergies for subsequent applications as part of a sequential biochar system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Wurzer
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, Crew Building, The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3FF Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Pierre Oesterle
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Stina Jansson
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, Crew Building, The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3FF Edinburgh, UK
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17
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Wang X, Cui X, Fang C, Yu F, Zhi J, Mašek O, Yan B, Chen G, Dan Z. Agent-assisted electrokinetic treatment of sewage sludge: Heavy metal removal effectiveness and nutrient content characteristics. Water Res 2022; 224:119016. [PMID: 36113240 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Sewage sludge (SS) is rich in nutrient elements such as phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), and potassium (K), and therefore a candidate material for use in agriculture. But high content of heavy metals (HMs) can be a major obstacle to its further utilization. Therefore, an appropriate HM removal technology is required before its land application. In this study, an innovative biodegradable agent (citric acid, FeCl3, ammonium hydroxide, tetrasodium iminodisuccinate (IDS), and tea saponin) assisted electrokinetic treatment (EK) was performed to investigate the HM removal efficiency (RHMs) and nutrient transportation. Citric acid, IDS, and FeCl3-assisted EK showed a preferable average RHMs (Rave) reduction of 52.74-59.23%, with low energy consumption. After treatment, the content of Hg (0.51 mg kg-1), Ni (13.23 mg kg-1), and Pb (26.45 mg kg-1) elements met the criteria of national risk control standard, in all cases. Following the treatment, most HMs in SS had a reduced potential to be absorbed by plants or be leached into water systems. Risk assessment indicated that the Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) value of HMs has decreased by 0.28-2.40, and the risk of Pb (Igeo=-0.74) reduced to unpolluted potential. Meanwhile, no excessive nutrient loss in SS occurred as a result of the treatment, on the contrary, there was a slight increase in P content (18.17 mg g-1). These results indicate that agent-assisted EK treatment could be an environmentally-friendly method for RHMs and nutrient element recovery from SS, opening new opportunities for sustainable SS recycling and its inclusion into circular economy concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xutong Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Xiaoqiang Cui
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Cheng Fang
- School of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region 850012, China
| | - Fan Yu
- Institute of Energy and Power Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Jun'ao Zhi
- School of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region 850012, China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK.
| | - Beibei Yan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Guanyi Chen
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China.
| | - Zeng Dan
- School of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region 850012, China
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18
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Du T, Bogush A, Mašek O, Purton S, Campos LC. Algae, biochar and bacteria for acid mine drainage (AMD) remediation: A review. Chemosphere 2022; 304:135284. [PMID: 35691393 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a global issue and causes harmful environmental impacts. AMD has high acidity and contains a high concentration of heavy metals and metalloids, making it toxic to plants, animals, and humans. Traditional treatments for AMD have been widely used for a long time. Nevertheless, some limitations, such as low efficacy and secondary contamination, have led them to be replaced by other methods such as bio-based AMD treatments. This study reviewed three bio-based treatment methods using algae, biochar, and bacteria that can be used separately and potentially in combination for effective and sustainable AMD treatment to identify the removal mechanisms and essential parameters affecting AMD treatment. All bio-based methods, when applied as a single process and in combination (e.g. algae-biochar and algae-bacteria), were identified as effective treatments for AMD. Also, all these bio-based methods were found to be affected by some parameters (e.g. pH, temperature, biomass concentration and initial metal concentration) when removing heavy metals from AMD. However, we did not identify any research focusing on the combination of algae-biochar-bacteria as a consortium for AMD treatment. Therefore, due to the excellent performance in AMD treatment of algae, biochar and bacteria and the potential synergism among them, this review provides new insight and discusses the feasibility of a combination of algae-biochar-bacteria for AMD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianhao Du
- Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Bogush
- Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, Coventry, CV8 3LG, United Kingdom
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geoscience, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9YL, United Kingdom
| | - Saul Purton
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Luiza C Campos
- Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
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19
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Buss W, Wurzer C, Bach M, Heberling J, Appel T, Gerber H, Mašek O. Highly efficient phosphorus recovery from sludge and manure biochars using potassium acetate pre-treatment. J Environ Manage 2022; 314:115035. [PMID: 35436706 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Pyrolysis converts nutrient-rich residues (e.g., sewage sludge and manures) into biochar with low levels of organic contaminants and high nutrient contents. However, the availability of phosphorus (P) as one of the key nutrients in such biochar tends to be low and new approaches are needed to enhance P-availability. In this work we tested and optimised one such method, doping biomass prior to pyrolysis with potassium (K) as potassium acetate. The treatment worked effectively in both pyrolysis units tested (microscale and lab-scale, continuous unit) and all three feedstocks (two types of sewage sludges and swine manure). The most dramatic effect was observed in the microscale pyrolysis unit at 400 °C where 5% K doping increased the water-extractable P content 700-fold to 43% of total P. Of the added K, on average 90% was retained in biochar after pyrolysis of which ∼50% was water-extractable. The proposed method enables conversion of low-value residues into valuable resources with agronomically relevant total and available P and K levels. This approach does not require specialised equipment or process modifications and is therefore easy to implement and relatively cheap (∼US$ 60-80 t-1 treated feedstock). It can present an urgently required solution to fulfil regulatory requirements for P-recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfram Buss
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, 2601, Canberra, Australia; UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, EH9 3FF, Edinburgh, UK; Conversion Technologies of Biobased Resources, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstraße 9, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - Christian Wurzer
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, EH9 3FF, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | | | - Thomas Appel
- University of Applied Sciences Bingen, Berlinstraße 109, 55411, Bingen, Germany
| | | | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, EH9 3FF, Edinburgh, UK
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20
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Khan M, Ullah Z, Mašek O, Raza Naqvi S, Nouman Aslam Khan M. Artificial neural networks for the prediction of biochar yield: A comparative study of metaheuristic algorithms. Bioresour Technol 2022; 355:127215. [PMID: 35470005 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this study, an integrated framework of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and metaheuristic algorithms have been developed for the prediction of biochar yield using biomass characteristics and pyrolysis process conditions. Comparative analysis of six different metaheuristic algorithms was performed to optimize the ANN architecture and select important features. The results suggested that the ANN model coupled with the Rao-2 algorithm outperformed (R2 ∼ 0.93, RMSE ∼ 1.74%) all other models. Furthermore, the detailed information behind the models was acquired, identifying the most influencing factors as follows: pyrolysis temperature (56%), residence time (23%), and heating rate (8%). The partial dependence plot analysis revealed how each influencing factor affected the target variable. Finally, an easy-to-use software tool for predicting biochar yield was built using the ANN-Rao-2 model. This study demonstrates huge potential that machine learning presents in predictive modelling of complex pyrolysis processes, and reduces the time-consuming and expensive experimental work for estimating the biochar yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muzammil Khan
- School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Zahid Ullah
- School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JN, UK.
| | - Salman Raza Naqvi
- School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
| | - Muhammad Nouman Aslam Khan
- School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
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21
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Meng J, Zhang H, Cui Z, Guo H, Mašek O, Sarkar B, Wang H, Bolan N, Shan S. Comparative study on the characteristics and environmental risk of potentially toxic elements in biochar obtained via pyrolysis of swine manure at lab and pilot scales. Sci Total Environ 2022; 825:153941. [PMID: 35189204 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Pyrolysis is considered as a promising method to immobilize potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in animal manures. However, comparative study on characteristics and environmental risk of PTEs in biochar obtained by pyrolysis of animal manure at different reactors are lacking. In this study, swine manure was pyrolyzed at 300-600 °C in a lab-scale or pilot-scale reactor with the aim to investigate their effects on characteristics and environmental risk of As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in swine manure biochar. Results showed that biochars produced from pilot scale had lower pH and carbon (C) content but higher oxygen (O) content than those from lab scale. Biochars from pilot scale had higher total PTEs (except Cd) concentrations and releasable PTEs (except Pb) but lower CaCl2-extractable PTEs and phytotoxicity germination index (GI) to radish seedings than those from lab scale. Chemical speciation analysis indicated that PTEs in biochar produced from pilot-scale fast pyrolysis at 400 °C had higher percentage of more stable fraction (F5 fraction) and lower potential ecological risk index (RI) than those from lab-scale slow pyrolysis. These findings demonstrated that bioavailability and potential ecological risk of PTE in swine manure biochar were greatly decrease in the pilot-scale pyrolysis reactor and the optimum temperature was 400 °C considering the lowest potential ecological risk index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Meng
- Institute of Eco-environmental Research, School of Environmental and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science & Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Henglei Zhang
- Institute of Eco-environmental Research, School of Environmental and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science & Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Zhonghua Cui
- Institute of Eco-environmental Research, School of Environmental and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science & Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Haipeng Guo
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Binoy Sarkar
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Hailong Wang
- Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China
| | - Nanthi Bolan
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6001, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6001, Australia
| | - Shengdao Shan
- Institute of Eco-environmental Research, School of Environmental and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science & Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China.
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22
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Buss W, Hilber I, Graham MC, Mašek O. Composition of PAHs in Biochar and Implications for Biochar Production. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 2022; 10:6755-6765. [PMID: 35634266 PMCID: PMC9131514 DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c00952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in biochar has been studied extensively; however, the links between biomass feedstock, production process parameters, and the speciation of PAHs in biochar are understudied. Such an understanding is crucial, as the health effects of individual PAHs vary greatly. Naphthalene (NAP) is the least toxic of the 16 US EPA PAHs but comprises the highest proportion of PAHs in biochar. Therefore, we investigate which parameters favor high levels of non-NAP PAHs (∑16 US EPA PAHs without NAP) in a set of 73 biochars. On average, the content of non-NAP PAHs was 9 ± 29 mg kg-1 (median 0.9 mg kg-1). Importantly, during the production of the biochars with the highest non-NAP PAH contents, the conditions in the post-pyrolysis area, where pyrolysis vapors and biochar are separated, favored condensation and deposition of PAHs on biochar. Under these conditions, NAP condensed to a lower degree because of its high vapor pressure. In biochars not contaminated through this process, the average non-NAP content was only 2 ± 3 mg kg-1 (median 0.5 mg kg-1). Uneven heat distribution and vapor trapping during pyrolysis and cool zones in the post-pyrolysis area need to be avoided. This demonstrates that the most important factor yielding high contents of toxic PAHs in biochar was neither a specific pyrolysis parameter nor the feedstock but the pyrolysis unit design, which can be modified to produce clean and safe biochar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfram Buss
- Research
School of Biology, Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, 2601 Canberra, Australia
- UK
Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, EH9 3FF Edinburgh, U.K.
| | - Isabel Hilber
- Methods
Development and Analytics, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Margaret C. Graham
- School
of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown
Road, EH9 3FF Edinburgh, U.K.
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK
Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, EH9 3FF Edinburgh, U.K.
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23
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Yang X, Wang L, Guo J, Wang H, Mašek O, Wang H, Bolan NS, Alessi DS, Hou D. Aging features of metal(loid)s in biochar-amended soil: Effects of biochar type and aging method. Sci Total Environ 2022; 815:152922. [PMID: 34999075 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.152922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Soil contamination with toxic metals and metalloids has become a major threat to global food security. Among various immobilization agents that can stabilize toxic metal(loid)s effectively, biochar is promising due to its ability to restore soil health. Yet the aging characteristics of biochar following its amendment in soil remain poorly explored. Therefore, this study used standard biochars to depict their aging effects on remediation of metal(loid)-contaminated soil. A total of 2304 observations were made, including 6 biochar feedstocks (rice husk, soft wood, oilseed rape straw, miscanthus straw, sewage sludge and wheat straw), 2 pyrolysis temperatures (550 °C, 700 °C), 8 metal(loid)s (Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, Pb), 4 aging methods (natural aging, freeze-thaw cycling, wet-dry cycling, chemical oxidation with H2O2), and 6 sampling intervals. Sewage sludge biochars exhibited the highest resistance to both artificial and natural aging, which may be related to the abundant oxygen-containing functional groups that favor metal complexation, and poorly-developed pore structures that limit the access of natural aging forces. A distinct relationship between ash and temperature was observed, where for high-ash biochars, an increase in pyrolysis temperature indicated lower resistance to aging, while for low-ash biochars, elevated pyrolysis temperature led to higher resistance. The aging behaviors of Cu and Sb were quite similar, which were both highly susceptible to chemical oxidation-induced dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release. Wet-dry cycling and freeze-thaw cycling revealed aging patterns that were similar to those of naturally aged soils as confirmed by cluster analysis. Lab aging data were then compared with existing biochar field aging results. Contrasting long-term immobilization performances were found in different studies, which were attributed to various causes associated with both biochar property and climate. The results of this study provide fresh insights into the long-term risks in the management of metal(loid)-contaminated agricultural soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodong Yang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Liuwei Wang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jiameng Guo
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Huixia Wang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Hailong Wang
- Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, Guangdong, China; Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang, China
| | - Nanthi S Bolan
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6001, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6001, Australia
| | - Daniel S Alessi
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
| | - Deyi Hou
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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24
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Sun J, Norouzi O, Mašek O. A state-of-the-art review on algae pyrolysis for bioenergy and biochar production. Bioresour Technol 2022; 346:126258. [PMID: 34798254 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Algae, as a feedstock with minimum land footprint, is considered a promising biomass for sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials. Unlike lignocellulosic biomass, algae consist mainly of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins. This review focusses on the bio-oil and biochar co-products of algae-pyrolysis and presents the current state-of-the-art in the pyrolysis technologies and key applications of algal biochar. Algal biochar holds potential to be a cost-effective fertilizer, as it has high P, N and other nutrient contents. Beyond soil applications, algae-derived biochar has many other applications, such as wastewater-treatment, due to its porous structure and strong ion-exchange capacity. High specific capacitance and stability also make algal biochar a potential supercapacitor material. Furthermore, algal biochar can be great catalysts (or catalyst supports). This review sheds light on a wide range of algae-pyrolysis related topics, including advanced-pyrolysis techniques and the potential biochar applications in soil amendment, energy storage, catalysts, chemical industries, and wastewater-treatment plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Sun
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Omid Norouzi
- Mechanical Engineering Program, School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK.
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25
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Crispo M, Cameron DD, Meredith W, Eveleigh A, Ladommatos N, Mašek O, Edmondson JL. Opening the black box: Soil microcosm experiments reveal soot black carbon short-term oxidation and influence on soil organic carbon mineralisation. Sci Total Environ 2021; 801:149659. [PMID: 34416602 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Soils hold three quarters of the total organic carbon (OC) stock in terrestrial ecosystems and yet we fundamentally lack detailed mechanistic understanding of the turnover of major soil OC pools. Black carbon (BC), the product of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, is ubiquitous in soils globally. Although BC is a major soil carbon pool, its effects on the global carbon cycle have not yet been resolved. Soil BC represents a large stable carbon pool turning over on geological timescales, but research suggests it can alter soil biogeochemical cycling including that of soil OC. Here, we established two soil microcosm experiments: experiment one added 13C OC to soil with and without added BC (soot or biochar) to investigate whether it suppresses OC mineralisation; experiment two added 13C BC (soot) to soil to establish whether it is mineralised in soil over a short timescale. Gases were sampled over six-months and analysed using isotope ratio mass spectrometry. In experiment one we found that the efflux of 13C OC from soil decreased over time, but the addition of soot to soil significantly reduced the mineralisation of OC from 32% of the total supplied without soot to 14% of the total supplied with soot. In contrast, there was not a significant difference after the addition of biochar in the flux of 13C from the OC added to the soil. In experiment two, we found that the efflux 13C from soil with added 13C soot significantly differed from the control, but this efflux declined over time. There was a cumulative loss of 0.17% 13C from soot over the experiment. These experimental results represent a step-change in understanding the influence of BC continuum on carbon dynamics, which has major consequences for the way we monitor and manage soils for carbon sequestration in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Crispo
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
| | - Duncan D Cameron
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Will Meredith
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Aaron Eveleigh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Nicos Ladommatos
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Jill L Edmondson
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
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Jayakumar A, Wurzer C, Soldatou S, Edwards C, Lawton LA, Mašek O. New directions and challenges in engineering biologically-enhanced biochar for biological water treatment. Sci Total Environ 2021; 796:148977. [PMID: 34273833 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable water treatment solutions utilising existing materials and technology will make it easier for low and middle-income countries to adopt them, improving public health. The ability of biochar to mediate and support microbial degradation of contaminants, combined with its carbon-sequestration potential, has attracted attention in recent years. Biochar is a possible candidate for use in cost-effective and sustainable biological water treatment, especially in agrarian economies with easy access to abundant biomass in the form of crop residues and organic wastes. This review evaluates the scope, potential benefits (economic and environmental) and challenges of sustainable biological water treatment using 'Biologically-Enhanced Biochar' or BEB. We discuss the various processes occurring in BEB systems and demonstrate the urgent need to investigate microbial degradation mechanisms. We highlight the need to correlate biochar properties to biofilm development, which can eventually determine process efficiency. We also demonstrate the various opportunities in adopting BEB as a cheaper and more viable alternative in Low and Middle Income Countries and compare it to the current benchmark, 'Biological Activated Carbon'. We focus on the recent advances in the areas of data science, mathematical modelling and molecular biology to systematically and sustainably design BEB filters, unlike the largely empirical design approaches seen in water treatment. 'Sequential biochar systems' are introduced as specially designed end-of-life techniques to lower the environmental impact of BEB filters and examples of their integration into biological water treatment that can fulfil zero waste criteria for BEBs are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Jayakumar
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Christian Wurzer
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sylvia Soldatou
- CyanoSol, School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Christine Edwards
- CyanoSol, School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Linda A Lawton
- CyanoSol, School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Chiappero M, Berruti F, Mašek O, Fiore S. Semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of mixed wastewater sludge with biochar addition. Bioresour Technol 2021; 340:125664. [PMID: 34358988 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This work analysed the effects of Biochar (BC) addition to the Anaerobic digestion (AD) of wastewater Mixed sludge (MS) in semi-continuous mode. A 3 L digester was operated at 37 °C for 100 days, feeding MS collected every three weeks in the same wastewater treatment plant, and 10 g L-1 of BC. The average performance of MS digestion (biogas 188 NmL d-1, 68% methane) improved in presence of BC (biogas 244 NmL d-1, 69% methane). According to the results of the multiple linear regression analysis performed on the experimental data, the 79% variation of the soluble COD in the MS was the driving factor for the 38% increase of biogas and methane yields. In conclusion, in the considered experimental conditions, the variability of the substrate's composition was the key factor driving the performances of the AD of MS, independently of the addition of BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Chiappero
- DIATI (Department of Engineering for Environment, Land and Infrastructures), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24, Torino 10129, Italy
| | - Franco Berruti
- Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR), Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5B9, Canada
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre (UKBRC), School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JN, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Fiore
- DIATI (Department of Engineering for Environment, Land and Infrastructures), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24, Torino 10129, Italy.
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28
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Kozyatnyk I, Oesterle P, Wurzer C, Mašek O, Jansson S. Removal of contaminants of emerging concern from multicomponent systems using carbon dioxide activated biochar from lignocellulosic feedstocks. Bioresour Technol 2021; 340:125561. [PMID: 34332442 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Adsorption of six contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) - caffeine, chloramphenicol, carbamazepine, bisphenol A, diclofenac, and triclosan - from a multicomponent solution was studied using activated biochars obtained from three lignocellulosic feedstocks: wheat straw, softwood, and peach stones. Structural parameters related to the porosity and ash content of activated biochar and the hydrophobic properties of the CECs were found to influence the adsorption efficiency. For straw and softwood biochar, activation resulted in a more developed mesoporosity, whereas activation of peach stone biochar increased only the microporosity. The most hydrophilic CECs studied, caffeine and chloramphenicol, displayed the highest adsorption (22.8 and 11.3 mg g-1) onto activated wheat straw biochar which had the highest ash content of the studied adsorbents (20 wt%). Adsorption of bisphenol A and triclosan, both relatively hydrophobic substances, was highest (31.6 and 30.2 mg g-1) onto activated biochar from softwood, which displayed a well-developed mesoporosity and low ash content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Kozyatnyk
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Pierre Oesterle
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Christian Wurzer
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3FF Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3FF Edinburgh, UK
| | - Stina Jansson
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
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29
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Li Q, Zhang S, Gholizadeh M, Hu X, Yuan X, Sarkar B, Vithanage M, Mašek O, Ok YS. Co-hydrothermal carbonization of swine and chicken manure: Influence of cross-interaction on hydrochar and liquid characteristics. Sci Total Environ 2021; 786:147381. [PMID: 33975118 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Swine and chicken manures are abundant solid wastes that can be converted into carbonaceous materials through hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). Owing to their unique biochemical compositions, co-HTC of these two types of manures may have significant implications for the generated products. We investigated the co-HTC of swine manure and chicken manure to understand the influence of the interaction between contrasting manures on the properties of the derived products. The results indicated that co-HTC treatment enhanced the formation of solid product and improved the C and N contents, heating value, and energy yield of the resulting hydrochar. Regarding the ignition temperature and comprehensive combustion index, the combustion properties of the hydrochar were enhanced owing to the mutual effect of the HTC intermediates. Additionally, the interaction of the intermediates significantly impacted the transfer of nitrogenous species and generation of organic acids and organic polymers with fused-ring structures. Therefore, co-HTC processing of animal manures could potentially provide a sustainable pathway for the conversion of animal waste into solid products with improved characteristics compared to those produced by treating the two feedstocks separately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyin Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, Shandong, China
| | - Shu Zhang
- College of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu, China
| | - Mortaza Gholizadeh
- Faculty of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Xun Hu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, Shandong, China.
| | - Xiangzhou Yuan
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Korea Biochar Research Center, APRU Sustainable Waste Management Program & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
| | - Binoy Sarkar
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | - Meththika Vithanage
- Ecosphere Resilience Research Center, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Crew Building, EH9 3JN Edinburgh, UK
| | - Yong Sik Ok
- Korea Biochar Research Center, APRU Sustainable Waste Management Program & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
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Assil Z, Esegbue O, Mašek O, Gutierrez T, Free A. Corrigendum to "Specific enrichment of hydrocarbonclastic bacteria from diesel-amended soil on biochar particles" [Sci. Total Environ. (2021) 762:143084]. Sci Total Environ 2021; 776:146796. [PMID: 33838931 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhansaya Assil
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | | | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Tony Gutierrez
- School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Andrew Free
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK.
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Xiong X, Yu IKM, Dutta S, Mašek O, Tsang DCW. Valorization of humins from food waste biorefinery for synthesis of biochar-supported Lewis acid catalysts. Sci Total Environ 2021; 775:145851. [PMID: 33631592 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
To close the carbon loop of biomass waste valorization, it is imperative to utilize the unavoidable by-products such as humins, a carbonaceous residue with complex and heterogeneous composition. In this study, starch-rich rice waste was effectively converted into value-added chemicals (e.g., 5-hydroxymethylfurfural) under microwave heating at 160 °C using AlCl3 as the catalyst. The solid by-products, i.e., humins, were then valorized as a raw material for fabricating biochar-supported Lewis acid catalysts. The humins were collected and pretreated by AlCl3 as the impregnation agent, followed by carbonization. Detailed characterization revealed several AlO species on the biochar surface plausibly in the amorphous state. The oxygen-containing functional groups of humins might serve as anchoring sites for the Al species during impregnation. The humins-derived biochars exhibited good catalytic activity toward glucose-to-fructose isomerization, a common biorefinery reaction catalyzed by Lewis acids. A fructose yield of up to 14 Cmol% could be achieved under microwave heating at 160 °C for 20 min in water as the greenest solvent. Such catalytic performance was comparable with the previously reported Al-based catalysts derived from wood waste and graphene/graphitic oxide. This study herein highlights humins as a low-cost alternative source of carbon for the preparation of renewable solid catalysts, proposing a novel practice for recycling by-products from food waste valorization to foster circular economy and sustainable development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinni Xiong
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Iris K M Yu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Department of Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747 Garching, Germany.
| | - Shanta Dutta
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Daniel C W Tsang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
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Srocke F, Han L, Dutilleul P, Xiao X, Smith DL, Mašek O. Synchrotron X-ray microtomography and multifractal analysis for the characterization of pore structure and distribution in softwood pellet biochar. Biochar 2021; 3:671-686. [PMID: 34723132 PMCID: PMC8545715 DOI: 10.1007/s42773-021-00104-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Biochar pores in the micrometer range (1-100 µm) derive from cellular structures of the plant biomass subjected to pyrolysis or can be the result of mechanical processing, such as pelleting. In this study, synchrotron X-ray microtomography was used to investigate the internal pore structure of softwood pellet biochar produced by slow pyrolysis at 550 and 700 °C. The microtomographic data sets consisted of 2025 images of 2560 × 2560 voxels with a voxel side length of 0.87 µm. The three-dimensional reconstructions revealed that pelleting and pyrolysis significantly altered the pore structures of the wood feedstock, creating a network of connected pores between fragments that resembled the wood morphology. While higher pyrolysis temperature increased the specific surface area (as determined by BET nitrogen adsorption), it did not affect the total observed porosity. Multifractal analysis was applied to assess the characteristics of the frequency distribution of pores along each of the three dimensions of reconstructed images of five softwood pellet biochar samples. The resulting singularity and Rényi spectra (generalized dimensions) indicated that the distribution of porosity had monofractal scaling behavior, was homogeneous within the analyzed volumes and consistent between replicate samples. Moreover, the pore distributions were isotropic (direction-independent), which is in strong contrast with the anisotropic pore structure of wood. As pores at the scale analyzed in this study are relevant, for example, for the supply of plant accessible water and habitable space for microorganisms, our findings combined with the ability to reproduce biochar with such pore distribution offer substantial advantages in various biochar applications. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42773-021-00104-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Srocke
- Department of Plant Science, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9 Canada
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF UK
| | - Liwen Han
- Department of Plant Science, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9 Canada
| | - Pierre Dutilleul
- Department of Plant Science, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9 Canada
| | - Xianghui Xiao
- Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439 USA
- Present Address: National Synchrotron Light Source II, Upton, NY 11973 USA
| | - Donald L. Smith
- Department of Plant Science, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9 Canada
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF UK
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33
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Li H, Mašek O, Harper A, Ocone R. Kinetic study of pyrolysis of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) waste at different bed thickness in a fixed bed reactor. CAN J CHEM ENG 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.24123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Haoyu Li
- School of Engineering, Physical and Science, Heriot‐Watt University Edinburgh UK
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | - Alan Harper
- School of Engineering, Physical and Science, Heriot‐Watt University Edinburgh UK
| | - Raffaella Ocone
- School of Engineering, Physical and Science, Heriot‐Watt University Edinburgh UK
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34
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Assil Z, Esegbue O, Mašek O, Gutierrez T, Free A. Specific enrichment of hydrocarbonclastic bacteria from diesel-amended soil on biochar particles. Sci Total Environ 2021; 762:143084. [PMID: 33131874 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Biochar has been proposed as a suitable biostimulant for the remediation of hydrocarbon contamination, and also has the potential to act as a carrier for hydrocarbonoclastic microorganisms which could bioaugment endogenous microbial communities. However, the evidence regarding the biostimulatory effects of biochars on hydrocarbon bioremediation is somewhat equivocal, possibly due to variability of the physicochemical properties of biochar and soil across studies. Here, we use standard biochars with defined properties produced from softwood pellets (SWP) and rice husk (RH) at pyrolysis temperatures of 550 °C or 700 °C to test the effects of biochar amendment on microbial community composition and hydrocarbon degradation in soil microcosms contaminated with diesel oil. Combining this approach for the first time with specific analysis of microbial community composition using amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), we find that oil contamination causes extreme short-term loss of soil microbial diversity, and highly-specific selection of a limited set of genera defined by 13 ASVs. Biochar ameliorates the short-term loss of diversity, and in the longer term (9 weeks), changes community composition in a type-specific manner. The majority of the 13 selected ASVs are further enriched on biochar particles, although SWP biochars perform better than RH biochar in enrichment of putative hydrocarbonoclastic Aquabacterium spp. However, complete degradation of normal (n) alkanes from the aliphatic hydrocarbon fraction is prevented in the presence of biochar amendment, possibly due to their adsorption onto the char surface. Furthermore, we show that putative hydrocarbon degraders released from diesel-amended soil can subsequently be enriched to high levels on SWP biochar particles in growth medium supplemented with diesel oil as the sole carbon source; these include selected ASVs representing the genera Rhodococcus, Aquabacterium, and Cavicella. This work suggests that use of biochar pre-enriched with endogenous, conditionally-rare hydrocarbon degrading bacteria is a promising strategy for bioaugmentation of diesel-contaminated soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhansaya Assil
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | | | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Tony Gutierrez
- School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Andrew Free
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK.
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35
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Yang Q, Zhou H, Bartocci P, Fantozzi F, Mašek O, Agblevor FA, Wei Z, Yang H, Chen H, Lu X, Chen G, Zheng C, Nielsen CP, McElroy MB. Prospective contributions of biomass pyrolysis to China's 2050 carbon reduction and renewable energy goals. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1698. [PMID: 33727563 PMCID: PMC7966788 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21868-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recognizing that bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) may still take years to mature, this study focuses on another photosynthesis-based, negative-carbon technology that is readier to implement in China: biomass intermediate pyrolysis poly-generation (BIPP). Here we find that a BIPP system can be profitable without subsidies, while its national deployment could contribute to a 61% reduction of carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product in 2030 compared to 2005 and result additionally in a reduction in air pollutant emissions. With 73% of national crop residues used between 2020 and 2030, the cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction could reach up to 8620 Mt CO2-eq by 2050, contributing 13–31% of the global GHG emission reduction goal for BECCS, and nearly 4555 Mt more than that projected for BECCS alone in China. Thus, China’s BIPP deployment could have an important influence on achieving both national and global GHG emissions reduction targets. BIPP with biochar sequestration is a ready-to-implement negative emission technology in China. Here, the authors show that its national deployment could contribute to a 61% reduction of carbon emissions per GDP in 2030 compared to 2005, and contribute 13–31% of the global biomass-based negative emission goal by 2050.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China. .,John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China. .,China-EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China.
| | - Hewen Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China.,Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China
| | - Pietro Bartocci
- Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | | | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Foster A Agblevor
- USTAR Bioenergy Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Zhiyu Wei
- Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China.,China-EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China
| | - Haiping Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China.,Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China.,China-EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China
| | - Hanping Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China. .,Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China. .,China-EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China.
| | - Xi Lu
- School of Environment and State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Guoqian Chen
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Chuguang Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China.,Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, PR China
| | - Chris P Nielsen
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael B McElroy
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Guilhen SN, Rovani S, Araujo LGD, Tenório JAS, Mašek O. Uranium removal from aqueous solution using macauba endocarp-derived biochar: Effect of physical activation. Environ Pollut 2021; 272:116022. [PMID: 33221084 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to evaluate options for addressing two pressing challenges related to environmental quality and circular economy stemming from wastage or underutilization of abundant biomass residue resources and contamination of water by industrial effluents. In this study we focused on residues (endocarp) from Macaúba palm (Acrocomia aculeata) used for oil production, its conversion to activated biochar, and its potential use in uranium (U) removal from aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption experiments showed a much higher uranyl ions (U(VI)) removal efficiency of activated biochar compared to untreated biochar. As a result of activation, an increase in removal efficiency from 80.5% (untreated biochar) to 99.2% (after activation) was observed for a 5 mg L-1 initial U(VI) concentration solution adjusted to pH 3 using a 10 g L-1 adsorbent dosage. The BET surface area increased from 0.83 to 643 m2 g-1 with activation. Surface topography of the activated biochar showed a very characteristic morphology with high porosity. Activation significantly affected chemical surface of the biochar. FTIR analysis indicated that U(VI) was removed by physisorption from the aqueous solution. The adsorbed U(VI) was detected by micro X-ray fluorescence technique. Adsorption isotherms were employed to represent the results of the U adsorption onto the activated biochar. An estimation of the best fit was performed by calculating different deviation equations, also called error functions. The Redlich-Peterson isotherm model was the most appropriate for fitting the experimental data, suggesting heterogeneity of adsorption sites with different affinities for uranium setting up as a hybrid adsorption. These results demonstrated that physical activation significantly increases the adsorption capacity of macauba endocarp-derived biochar for uranium in aqueous solutions, and therefore open up a potential new application for this type of waste-derived biochar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine N Guilhen
- Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Professor Lineu Prestes, 2242 - 05508-000, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Suzimara Rovani
- Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Professor Lineu Prestes, 2242 - 05508-000, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Leandro G de Araujo
- Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Professor Lineu Prestes, 2242 - 05508-000, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Jorge A S Tenório
- Depto. de Engenharia Química da Escola Politécnica, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Lago, 250 - 05508-080, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Crew Building, EH9 3LA, Edinburgh, UK.
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Bai Y, Rafiq MK, Li S, Degen AA, Mašek O, Sun H, Han H, Wang T, Joseph S, Bachmann RT, Sani RK, Long R, Shang Z. Biochar from pyrolyzed Tibetan Yak dung as a novel additive in ensiling sweet sorghum: An alternate to the hazardous use of Yak dung as a fuel in the home. J Hazard Mater 2021; 403:123647. [PMID: 33264862 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Yak dung is used as fuel in Tibetan homes; however, this use is hazardous to health. An alternative use of the dung that would be profitable and offset the loss as a fuel would be very beneficial. Sweet sorghum silage with yak dung biochar as an additive was compared with a control silage with no additives and three silages with different commercial additives, namely Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Acremonium cellulase. Biochar-treated silage had a significantly greater concentration of water-soluble carbohydrates than the other silages (76 vs 12.4-45.8 g/kg DM) and a greater crude protein content (75.5 vs 61.4 g/kg DM), lactic acid concentration (40.7 vs 27.7 g/kg DM) and gross energy yield (17.8 vs 17.4 MJ/kg) than the control silage. Biochar-treated and control silages did not differ in in vitro digestibility and in total gas (507 vs 511 L/kg DM) and methane production (57.9 vs 57.1 L/kg DM). Biochar inhibited degradation of protein and water-soluble carbohydrates and enhanced lactic acid production, which improved storability of feed. It was concluded that yak dung biochar is an efficient, cost-effective ensiling additive. The profit could offset the loss of dung as fuel and improve the health of Tibetan people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfu Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Muhammad Khalid Rafiq
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, United Kingdom; Rangeland Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Shanshan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - A Allan Degen
- Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 8410500, Israel
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
| | - Hongwen Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Huawen Han
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Ting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Stephen Joseph
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Robert Thomas Bachmann
- Malaysian Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering Technology (MICET), Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Lot 1988, Taboh Naning, 78000, Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia
| | - Rajesh K Sani
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E. St. Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD, 57701, United States
| | - Ruijun Long
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Zhanhuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
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Rathnayake D, Rego F, Van Poucke R, Bridgwater AV, Mašek O, Meers E, Wang J, Yang Y, Ronsse F. Chemical stabilization of Cd-contaminated soil using fresh and aged wheat straw biochar. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2021; 28:10155-10166. [PMID: 33169282 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11574-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Metal mining and smelting activities can introduce a substantial amount of potentially toxic elements (PTE) into the environment that can persist for an extended period. That can limit the productivity of the land and creates dangerous effects on ecosystem services. The effectiveness of wheat straw biochar to immobilize Cd in contaminated soil due to metal smelting activities was investigated in this study. The biochar carbon stability and long-term provisioning of services depend on the biochar production conditions, nature of the feedstock, and the biotic and abiotic environmental conditions in which the biochar is being used. Within this context, three types of wheat straw biochar were produced using a screw reactor at 400 °C, 500 °C, and 600 °C and tested in a laboratory incubation study. Soil was amended with 2 wt% of biochar. Both fresh and aged forms of biochar were used. Biochars produced at lower temperatures were characterized by lower pH, a lower amount of stable C, and higher amounts of acidic surface functional groups than the freshly produced biochars at higher production temperatures. At the end of the 6 months of incubation time, compared to the soil only treatment, fresh and aged forms of wheat straw biochar produced at 600 °C reduced the Cd concentration in soil pore water by 22% and 15%, respectively. Our results showed that the aged forms of biochar produced at higher production temperatures (500 °C and 600 °C) immobilized Cd more efficiently than the aged forms of lower temperature biochar (400 °C). The findings of this study provide insights to choose the production parameters in wheat straw biochar production while considering their aging effect to achieve successful stabilization of Cd in contaminated soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilani Rathnayake
- Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass Research Group, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 653, Coupure Links, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Filipe Rego
- Bioenergy Research Group, EBRI, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
| | - Reinhart Van Poucke
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 653, Coupure Links, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, Crew Building, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Erik Meers
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 653, Coupure Links, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jiawei Wang
- Bioenergy Research Group, EBRI, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
| | - Yang Yang
- Bioenergy Research Group, EBRI, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
| | - Frederik Ronsse
- Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass Research Group, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 653, Coupure Links, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
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Wurzer C, Mašek O. Feedstock doping using iron rich waste increases the pyrolysis gas yield and adsorption performance of magnetic biochar for emerging contaminants. Bioresour Technol 2021; 321:124473. [PMID: 33302011 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Magnetic carbons can significantly lower the costs of wastewater treatment due to easy separation of the adsorbent. However, current production techniques often involve the use of chlorinated or sulfonated Fe precursors with an inherent potential for secondary pollution. In this study, ochre, an iron-rich waste stream was investigated as a sustainable Fe source to produce magnetic activated biochar from two agricultural feedstocks, softwood and wheat straw. Fe doping resulted in significant shifts in pyrolysis yield distribution with increased gas yields (+50%) and gas energy content (+40%) lowering the energy costs for production. Physical activation transformed ochre to magnetite/maghemite resulting in activated magnetic biochars and led to a 4-fold increase in the adsorption capacities for two common micropollutants - caffeine and fluconazole. The results show that Fe doping not only benefits the adsorbent properties but also the production process, leading the way to sustainable carbon adsorbents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Wurzer
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom.
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Sik Ok
- Korea Biochar Research Center & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Amit Bhatnagar
- University of Eastern Finland, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Deyi Hou
- Tsinghua University, School of Environment, 1 Qinghuanyuan, Beijing, China
| | - Thallada Bhaskar
- Material Resource Efficiency Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun 248005, India.
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- University of Edinburgh, School of GeoSciences, UK Biochar Research Centre, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Zhang M, Song G, Gelardi DL, Huang L, Khan E, Mašek O, Parikh SJ, Ok YS. Evaluating biochar and its modifications for the removal of ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate in water. Water Res 2020; 186:116303. [PMID: 32841930 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Removal of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from water through the use of various sorbents is often considered an economically viable way for supplementing conventional methods. Biochar has been widely studied for its potential adsorption capabilities for soluble N and P, but the performance of different types of biochars can vary widely. In this review, we summarized the adsorption capacities of biochars in removing N (NH4-N and NO3-N) and P (PO4-P) based on the reported data, and discussed the possible mechanisms and influencing factors. In general, the NH4-N adsorption capacity of unmodified biochars is relatively low, at levels of less than 20 mg/g. This adsorption is mainly via ion exchange and/or interactions with oxygen-containing functional groups on biochar surfaces. The affinity is even lower for NO3-N, because of electrostatic repulsion by negatively charged biochar surfaces. Precipitation of PO4-P by metals/metal oxides in biochar is the primary mechanism for PO4-P removal. Biochars modified by metals have a significantly higher capacity to remove NH4-N, NO3-N, and PO4-P than unmodified biochar, due to the change in surface charge and the increase in metal oxides on the biochar surface. Ambient conditions in the aqueous phase, including temperature, pH, and co-existing ions, can significantly alter the adsorption of N and P by biochars, indicating the importance of optimal processing parameters for N and P removal. However, the release of endogenous N and P from biochar to water can impede its performance, and the presence of competing ions in water poses practical challenges for the use of biochar for nutrient removal. This review demonstrates that progress is needed to improve the performance of biochars and overcome challenges before the widespread field application of biochar for N and P removal is realized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zhang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health (Zhejiang University), Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Ge Song
- Department of Environmental Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China
| | - Danielle L Gelardi
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA 95618, United States
| | - Longbin Huang
- Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Eakalak Khan
- Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Department, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4015, United States
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Sanjai J Parikh
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA 95618, United States
| | - Yong Sik Ok
- Korea Biochar Research Center, APRU Sustainable Waste Management & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Soldatou S, Jaykumar A, H.A.S.N A, M. Manage P, Mašek O, A. Lawton L, Edwards C. Safe water for all: A nature-based approach for cyanotoxin elimination from potable water. Access Microbiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1099/acmi.ac2020.po0574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacterial blooms are a serious threat to public health and water quality due to the production of cyanotoxins as a result of nutrient pollution from industry, agriculture, domestic waste as well as global warming. The microcystins (MCs) are the most abundant cyanotoxins consisting of >200 analogues causing both acute and chronic toxicity, sometimes resulting in death. In Asian countries, such as Sri Lanka, reports of kidney disease are constantly increasing. Although no direct link between metal and pesticide contamination in water and kidney disease has been found, high concentration of cyanobacteria cells in drinking water wells implies that the nephrotoxic effects of cyanotoxins might play a key factor in the reports of Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown aetiology (CKDu) in Sri Lanka. Therefore, we propose a nature-based approach for water treatment which will study the hypotheses that cyanotoxins can cause CKDu. Sri Lankan bacterial isolates (Alcaligens sp., Roseateles sp., Bacillus sp., and Micrococcus sp.) known to degrade microcystins, were used to form biofilm on biochar from Sri Lankan crop residues, such as coconut shells. The immobilisation of the microbes was assessed via a high-throughput colourimetric assay, followed by monitoring the biodegradation rate of microcystins when added to the immobilised cultures. Biodegradation products were analysed and identified through molecular networking and quantified via LC-MS/MS. Ultimately, this project will provide safe water in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 as well contributing in sustainable goals 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 12 (Responsible Production and Consumption).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Soldatou
- School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences,Robert Gordon University,Aberdeen
| | | | - Abeysiri H.A.S.N
- Centre for Water Quality and Algae Research,Department of Zoology,University of Sri Jayewardenepura
| | - Pathmalal M. Manage
- Centre for Water Quality and Algae Research,Department of Zoology,University of Sri Jayewardenepura
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- School of GeoSciences,University of Edinburgh,Edinburgh
| | - Linda A. Lawton
- School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences,Robert Gordon University,Aberdeen
| | - Christine Edwards
- School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences,Robert Gordon University,Aberdeen
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Gurtler JB, Mullen CA, Boateng AA, Mašek O, Camp MJ. Biocidal Activity of Fast Pyrolysis Biochar against Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Soil Varies Based on Production Temperature or Age of Biochar. J Food Prot 2020; 83:1020-1029. [PMID: 32438397 DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-19-331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Soils in which fresh produce is grown can become contaminated with foodborne pathogens and are sometimes then abandoned or removed from production. The application of biochar has been proposed as a method of bioremediating such pathogen-contaminated soils. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate three fast-pyrolysis-generated biochars (FPBC; pyrolyzed in house at 450, 500, and 600°C in a newly designed pyrolysis reactor) and 10 United Kingdom Biochar Research Center (UKBRC) standard slow-pyrolysis biochars to determine their effects on the viability of four surrogate strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in soil. A previously validated biocidal FPBC that was aged for 2 years was also tested with E. coli to determine changes in antibacterial efficacy over time. Although neither the UKBRC slow-pyrolysis biochars or the 450 and 500°C FPBC from the new reactor were antimicrobial, the 600°C biochar was biocidal (P < 0.05); E. coli populations were significantly reduced at 3 and 3.5% biochar concentrations (reductions of 5.34 and 5.84 log CFU/g, respectively) compared with 0.0 to 2.0% biochar concentrations. The aged 500°C FPBC from the older reactor, which was previously validated as antimicrobial, lost efficacy after aging for 2 years. These results indicate that the biocidal activity of FPBC varies based on production temperature and/or age. HIGHLIGHTS
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua B Gurtler
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Regional Research Center, Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research Unit, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038-8551 (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5844-7794 [J.B.G])
| | - Charles A Mullen
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Regional Research Center, Sustainable Biofuels and Co-Products Research Unit, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038-8551
| | - Akwasi A Boateng
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Regional Research Center, Sustainable Biofuels and Co-Products Research Unit, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038-8551
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Mary J Camp
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Building 003, BARC-West, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350, USA
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Rafiq MK, Bai Y, Aziz R, Rafiq MT, Mašek O, Bachmann RT, Joseph S, Shahbaz M, Qayyum A, Shang Z, Danaee M, Long R. Biochar amendment improves alpine meadows growth and soil health in Tibetan plateau over a three year period. Sci Total Environ 2020; 717:135296. [PMID: 31839318 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 10/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Previous biochar research has primarily focused on agricultural annual cropping systems with very little attention given to highly fragile, complex and diverse natural alpine grassland ecosystems. The present study investigated the effect of biochar on the growth of alpine meadows and soil health. This study was conducted in the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau over a three year period to investigate the effect of three rice husk biochar application rates alone and combination with high and low NPK fertilizer dosages on alpine meadow productivity, soil microbial diversity as well as pH, carbon and nitrogen content at 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm depth. At the end of the 3rd year soil samples were analysed and assessed by combined analysis of variance. The results showed that biochar application in combination with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer had a significant increase in fresh and dry biomass during the second and third year of the study as compared to control and alone biochar application (p ≤ 0.05). Biochar alone and in combination with NPK fertilizer resulted in a significant increase in the soil pH and carbon contents of the soil. XPS results, the SEM imaging and EDS analysis of aged biochar demonstrated that the biochar has undergone complex changes over the 3 years as compared to fresh biochar. This research suggests that biochar has positive effect on alpine meadow growth and soil health and may be an effective tool for alpine meadow restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Khalid Rafiq
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom; State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, International Centre for Tibetan Plateau Ecosystem Management, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; Rangeland Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Yanfu Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, International Centre for Tibetan Plateau Ecosystem Management, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Rukhsanda Aziz
- Department of Environmental Science, International Islamic University, Islamabad, 44000 Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Tariq Rafiq
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, International Islamic University, 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Thomas Bachmann
- Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Branch Campus Malaysian Institute of Chemical & Bio-Engineering Technology (UniKL MICET), Lot 1988, Kawasan Perindustrian Bandar Vendor, Taboh Naning, 78000 Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia
| | - Stephen Joseph
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of NSW., Kensington, NSW Australia 2052
| | - Maqbool Shahbaz
- Rangeland Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Qayyum
- Department of Agronomy, University of Haripur, 22620, Pakistan
| | - Zhanhuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, International Centre for Tibetan Plateau Ecosystem Management, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Mahmoud Danaee
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
| | - Ruijun Long
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, International Centre for Tibetan Plateau Ecosystem Management, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
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Edeh IG, Mašek O, Buss W. A meta-analysis on biochar's effects on soil water properties - New insights and future research challenges. Sci Total Environ 2020; 714:136857. [PMID: 32018989 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Biochar can significantly alter water relations in soil and therefore, can play an important part in increasing the resilience of agricultural systems to drought conditions. To enable matching of biochar to soil constraints and application needs, a thorough understanding of the impact of biochar properties on relevant soil parameters is necessary. This meta-analysis of the available literature for the first time quantitatively assess the effect of not just biochar application, but different biochar properties on the full sets of key soil hydraulic parameters, i.e., the available water content (AWC), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), field capacity (FC), permanent wilting point (PWP) and total porosity (TP). The review shows that biochar increased soil water retention and decreased Ksat in sandy soils and increased Ksat and hence decreased runoff in clayey soils. On average, regardless of soil type, biochar application increased AWC (28.5%), FC (20.4%), PWP (16.7%) and TP (9.1%), while it reduced Ksat (38.7%) and BD (0.8%). Biochar was most effective in improving soil water properties in coarse-textured soils with application rates between 30 and 70 t/ha. The key factors influencing biochar performance were particle size, specific surface area and porosity indicating that both soil-biochar inter-particle and biochar intra-particle pores are important factors. To achieve optimum water relations in sandy soils (>60% sand and <20% clay), biochar with a small particle size (<2 mm) and high specific surface area and porosity should be applied. In clayey soil (>50% clay), <30 t/ha of a high surface area biochar is ideal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifeoma G Edeh
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK.
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Wolfram Buss
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; Conversion Technologies of Biobased Resources, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
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Cong H, Zhao L, Mašek O, Yao Z, Meng H, Huo L, Ma T, Hu E. Retraction notice to A pilot-scale biomass pyrolytic poly-generation plant performance study and self-sufficiency assessment Bioresource Technology 273 (2019) 439-445. Bioresour Technol 2019; 282:534. [PMID: 30929745 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.03.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hongbin Cong
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Lixin Zhao
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China.
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, UK Biochar Research Centre, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH93FF, UK
| | - Zonglu Yao
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Haibo Meng
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Lili Huo
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Teng Ma
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Erfeng Hu
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
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Han H, Rafiq MK, Zhou T, Xu R, Mašek O, Li X. A critical review of clay-based composites with enhanced adsorption performance for metal and organic pollutants. J Hazard Mater 2019; 369:780-796. [PMID: 30851518 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Adsorption techniques offer unique advantages owing to the use of synthetic (e.g., nanosized metal oxides and polymer-functionalized nanocomposites) and natural (e.g., clay and biochar) materials for pollutant removal. Although the most widely used adsorbent is activated carbon, extensive studies have highlighted the promising potential of modified clay minerals and biochar for removing heavy metal and organic pollutants from industrial, drinking, and eutrophic wastewater, due to their low cost and easy accessibility. However, clay modification using acids, calcination, polymers, or surfactants exhibits relatively low absorption/regeneration ability towards antibiotics, aromatics, and various dyes. The coexistence of numerous contaminants in industrial wastewater inhibited the performance of adsorbents, which accelerated the development of novel modified clay composites such as clay-biochar, organo-bentonite/sodium alginate beads, and enhanced biochar. This review summarizes recent studies and absorption mechanisms concerning clay composites based on various modification methods and component materials. The comparison of clay composites used for the removal of organic and inorganic contaminants provides valuable insight into real wastewater treatment. Knowledge gaps, uncertainties, and future challenges involved in the fabrication and regeneration of modified clay composites are also identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huawen Han
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Muhammad Khalid Rafiq
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, United Kingdom; Rangeland Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Tuoyu Zhou
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Rong Xu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
| | - Xiangkai Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People's Republic of China.
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Mašek O, Buss W, Brownsort P, Rovere M, Tagliaferro A, Zhao L, Cao X, Xu G. Potassium doping increases biochar carbon sequestration potential by 45%, facilitating decoupling of carbon sequestration from soil improvement. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5514. [PMID: 30940871 PMCID: PMC6445287 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41953-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Negative emissions technologies offer an important tool to limit the global warming to <2 °C. Biochar is one of only a few such technologies, and the one at highest technology readiness level. Here we show that potassium as a low-concentration additive in biochar production can increase biochar’s carbon sequestration potential; by up to 45% in this study. This translates to an increase in the estimated global biochar carbon sequestration potential to over 2.6 Gt CO2-C(eq) yr−1, thus boosting the efficiency of utilisation of limited biomass and land resources, and considerably improving the economics of biochar production and atmospheric carbon sequestration. In addition, potassium doping also increases plant nutrient content of resulting biochar, making it better suited for agricultural applications. Yet, more importantly, due to its much higher carbon sequestration potential, AM-enriched biochar facilitates viable biochar deployment for carbon sequestration purposes with reduced need to rely on biochar’s abilities to improve soil properties and crop yields, hence opening new potential areas and scenarios for biochar applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK.
| | - Wolfram Buss
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Peter Brownsort
- Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, High School Yards, Infirmary Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1LZ, UK
| | - Massimo Rovere
- Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy
| | - Alberto Tagliaferro
- Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy
| | - Ling Zhao
- Institute for Site Contamination and Remediation, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Xinde Cao
- Institute for Site Contamination and Remediation, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Guangwen Xu
- Institute of Industrial Chemistry and Energy Technology, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, No. 11 Street, Economic and Technological Develoment Zone of Shengyang, Shengyang, 102115, China
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Cong H, Zhao L, Mašek O, Yao Z, Meng H, Huo L, Ma T, Hu E. A pilot-scale biomass pyrolytic poly-generation plant performance study and self-sufficiency assessment. Bioresour Technol 2019; 273:439-445. [PMID: 30466022 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.10.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Revised: 10/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This work studied the influence of pyrolysis temperature on the energy and mass balance of pyrolysis of rice husk (RH), cotton stalk (CS) and fruit branch (FB) in a pilot-scale biomass pyrolytic poly-generation plant. The paper presents energy balance and self-sufficiency assessment of pilot-scale pyrolysis plant processing different types of biomass. The results also include characterization of the pyrolysis products. The volatile matter varied from 6.5 to 25.8% at different temperatures for the three feed stocks, which can be used as indexes for the degree of carbonization of biochar. The yield of pyrolysis gases enriched with H2, CH4 and other alkanes, and olefins increased significantly with increasing pyrolysis temperature from 550 to 650 °C. With a lower heating value >17.1 MJ/m3, an energy self-sufficient system is possible using only the pyrolysis gas. Biomass pyrolytic poly-generation technology offers a promising means of converting abundant agricultural residues into energy and added-value products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbin Cong
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Lixin Zhao
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China.
| | - Ondřej Mašek
- University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, UK Biochar Research Centre, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH93FF, UK
| | - Zonglu Yao
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Haibo Meng
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Lili Huo
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Teng Ma
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Erfeng Hu
- Center of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, China; Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100125, China
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Mašek
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences , University of Edinburgh , Alexander Crum Brown Road , Edinburgh , EH9 3FF , United Kingdom
| | - Wolfram Buss
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences , University of Edinburgh , Alexander Crum Brown Road , Edinburgh , EH9 3FF , United Kingdom
| | - Saran Sohi
- UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences , University of Edinburgh , Alexander Crum Brown Road , Edinburgh , EH9 3FF , United Kingdom
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