Development of Biochar-Based Functional Materials: Toward a Sustainable Platform Carbon Material

Environmental application of biochar: Current status and perspectives

In recent years, there has been a significant interest on biochar for various environmental applications, e.g., pollutants removal, carbon sequestration, and soil amelioration. Biochar has several unique properties, which makes it an efficient, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly material for diverse contaminants removal. The variability in physicochemical properties (e.g., surface area, microporosity, and pH) provides an avenue for biochar to maximize its efficacy to targeted applications. This review aims to highlight the vital role of surface architecture of biochar in different environmental applications. Particularly, it provides a critical review of current research updates related to the pollutants interaction with surface functional groups of biochars and the effect of the parameters variability on biochar attributes pertinent to specific pollutants removal, involved mechanisms, and competence for these removals. Moreover, future research directions of biochar research are also discussed.

Recent developments in biochar utilization as an additive in organic solid waste composting: A review

In recent years, considerable studies have been devoted to investigating the effect of biochar application on organic solid waste composting. This review provides an up-to-date overview of biochar amendment on composting processes and compost quality. Biochar production, characteristics, and its application coupled with the basic concepts of composting are briefly introduced before detailing the effects of biochar addition on composting. According to recent studies, biochar has exhibited great potential for enhancing composting. It is evident that biochar addition in composting can: (1) improve compost mixture physicochemical properties, (2) enhance microbial activities and promote organic matter decomposition, (3) reduce ammonia (NH₃) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and (4) upgrade compost quality by increasing the total/available nutrient content, enhancing maturity, and decreasing phytotoxicity. Despite that, further research is needed to explore the mechanism of biochar addition on composting and to evaluate the agricultural and environmental performances of co-composted biochar compost.

The structure evolution of biochar from biomass pyrolysis and its correlation with gas pollutant adsorption performance

Biochar is carbon-rich, porous and with a great potential in gas pollutant controlling. The physical-chemical structure of biochar is important for the application. This paper firstly reviewed the evolution behavior of physical-chemical structure for biochar during pyrolysis. At lower temperature (<500°C), biomass firstly transformed to "3D network of benzene rings" with abundant functional groups. With temperature increasing (500-700°C), it converted to "2D structure of fused rings" with abundant porosity. As temperature increasing further (>700°C), it may transit into a "graphite microcrystalline structure", the porosity and functional groups were diminished correspondingly. The modification of biochar and its application as sorbent for gas pollutant were also reviewed. Activation and doping can significantly increase the porosity and special functional groups in biochar, which is favorable for gas pollutant adsorption. With a higher porosity, the adsorption capacity of gas pollutant is bigger, however, the functional groups determined the sorption stability of gas pollutant.

The thermochemical conversion of non-lignocellulosic biomass to form biochar: A review on characterizations and mechanism elucidation

Biochar obtained from non-lignocellulosic biomass (NLBM) has attracted wide interests in various fields like pollutants removal, catalysis, and energy storage. However, the thermochemical conversion processes from NLBM to non-lignocellulosic biochar (NLBC) have not been well summarized until now. To fill the knowledge gap, this review presents a systematical summary of NLBM characteristics, thermochemical behaviors of main components (e.g., C, O, N, P and metals), characterization methods for NLBC and conversion process, and the main applications of NLBC. Moreover, the vacancy and limitations of the current researches are pointed out to provide some guidance for future study. This review would contribute to deepen the understanding of NLBC, meanwhile optimize the efficient disposal and value-added utilization of NLBM wastes via thermochemical conversion.

A review of biochar-based catalysts for chemical synthesis, biofuel production, and pollution control

This review addresses the use of biochar as a green and versatile catalyst support for emerging high-end applications beyond soil remediation, including chemical synthesis and biodiesel production from biomass, and pollutant degradation in the environment. Their catalytic performances are comparable or even superior to the conventional resin-, silica-, or carbon-based catalysts, owing to the favourable intrinsic features of biochar (various functional groups, intricate network of structures, etc.). Yet, distinctive active sites are needed for different applications. It is highlighted that the active site accessibility for substrates critically determines the performance, which is associated with the biochar physicochemical characteristics (-SO₃H site density, pore size distribution, surface area, etc.). They show varying significance depending on the catalytic sites on biochar, which may be controlled via novel pre-/post-synthesis modifications. This review elucidates the links among catalytic performances, physicochemical properties, and pyrolysis/modification-induced features, advising the tailored production of application-oriented biochar-based catalyst in the future.

Recent developments of post-modification of biochar for electrochemical energy storage

Biochar is a common byproduct from thermochemical conversion of biomass to produce bioenergy. However, the biochar features, such as morphology, porosity and surface chemistry, cannot be well controlled in conventional conversion approaches, limiting the wide application of raw biochar. Aiming to meet the specific requirements, post-modification of raw biochar was frequently conducted to improve the quality. In this review, recent developments regarding post-modification methods of biochar are presented and discussed. Progresses on the applications of post modified biochar as electrode materials for supercapacitors are intensively summarized. This review aims to reveal the key factors that affecting the performance of biochar-based supercapacitors, and provide guidance for rationalizing the modification methods to expand the applications of biochar-based functional materials in supercapacitors.

Multifunctional Biochar for Highly Efficient Capture, Identification, and Removal of Toxic Metals and Superbugs from Water Samples

According to the World Health Organization, more than two billion people in our world use drinking water sources which are not free from pathogens and heavy metal contamination. Unsafe drinking water is responsible for the death of several millions in the 21st century. To find facile and cost-effective routes for developing multifunctional materials, which has the capability to resolve many of the challenges associated with drinking water problem, here, we report the novel design of multifunctional fluorescence-magnetic biochar with the capability for highly efficient separation, identification, and removal of pathogenic superbugs and toxic metals from environmental water samples. Details of synthesis and characterization of multifunctional biochar that exhibits very good magnetic properties and emits bright blue light owing to the quantum confinement effect are reported. In our design, biochar, a carbon-rich low-cost byproduct of naturally abundant biomass, which exhibits heterogeneous surface chemistry and strong binding affinity via oxygen-containing group on the surface, has been used to capture pathogens and toxic metals. Biochar dots (BCDs) of an average of 4 nm size with very bright photoluminescence have been developed for the identification of pathogens and toxic metals. In the current design, magnetic nanoparticles have been incorporated with BCDs which allow pathogens and toxic metals to be completely removed from water after separation by an external magnetic field. Reported results show that owing to the formation of strong complex between multifunctional biochar and cobalt(II), multifunctional biochar can be used for the selective capture and removal of Co(II) from environmental samples. Experimental data demonstrate that multifunctional biochar can be used for the highly efficient removal of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from environmental samples. Reported results also show that melittin, an antimicrobial peptide-attached multifunctional biochar, has the capability to completely disinfect MRSA superbugs after magnetic separation. A possible mechanism for the selective separation of Co(II), as well as separation and killing of MRSA, has been discussed.

Photochemistry of Hydrochar: Reactive Oxygen Species Generation and Sulfadimidine Degradation

Biochar, mainly including pyrochar produced via pyrolysis of biomass at moderate temperatures of 350-700 °C and hydrochar formed by hydrothermal carbonization in a range of 150-350 °C, has received increasing attention because of its significant environmental impacts. It is known that pyrochar can generate reactive oxygen species even in the dark owing to the presence of persistent free radicals, but hydrochar is far less studied. In this study, we systematically investigate the photochemistry of hydrochar and check its effects on the sulfadimidine degradation. Different from pyrochar derived from the same biomass, hydrochar could generate much more H₂O₂ and •OH under daylight irradiation, which could enhance the sulfadimidine degradation rate six times more than that found in the dark. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to elucidate this interesting phenomenon. Characterization results revealed that the higher reactive oxygen species generation ability of hydrochar under solar light irradiation was attributed to its abundant photoactive surface oxygenated functional groups. This study clarifies the differences of pyrochar and hydrochar on organic pollutant degradation, and also sheds light on environmental effects of hydrochar.

Magnesium Oxide Embedded Nitrogen Self-Doped Biochar Composites: Fast and High-Efficiency Adsorption of Heavy Metals in an Aqueous Solution

Lead (Pb) pollution in natural water bodies is an environmental concern due to toxic effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health, while adsorption is an effective approach to remove Pb from the water. Surface interactions between adsorbents and adsorbates play a dominant role in the adsorption process, and properly engineering a material's surface property is critical to the improvement of adsorption performance. In this study, the magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles stabilized on the N-doped biochar (MgO@N-biochar) were synthesized by one-pot fast pyrolysis of an MgCl₂-loaded N-enriched hydrophyte biomass as a way to increase the exchangeable ions and N-containing functional groups and facilitate the adsorption of Pb²⁺. The as-synthesized MgO@N-biochar has a high performance with Pb in an aqueous solution with a large adsorption capacity (893 mg/g), a very short equilibrium time (<10 min), and a large throughput (∼4450 BV). Results show that this excellent adsorption performance can be maintained with various environmentally relevant interferences including pH, natural organic matter, and other metal ions, suggesting that the material may be suitable for the treatment of wastewater, natural bodies of water, and even drinking water. In addition, MgO@N-biochar quickly and efficiently removed Cd²⁺ and tetracycline. Multiple characterizations and comparative tests have been performed to demonstrate the surface adsorption and ion exchange contributed to partial Pb adsorption, and it can be inferred from these results that the high performance of MgO@N-biochar is mainly due to the surface coordination of Pb²⁺ and C═O or O═C-O, pyridinic, pyridonic, and pyrrolic N. This work suggests that engineering surface functional groups of biochar may be crucial for the development of high performance heavy metal adsorbents.

Comparison of cadmium and lead sorption by Phyllostachys pubescens biochar produced under a low-oxygen pyrolysis atmosphere

Phyllostachys pubescens (PP) biochars produced under a low oxygen pyrolysis atmosphere (oxygen content 1-4%) were prepared as sorbents for investigating the mechanisms of cadmium and lead sorption. A low-oxygen pyrolysis atmosphere increased biochar ash and specific surface area, promoting heavy metal precipitation and complexation. The maximum sorption capacity (Q_m) of Pb²⁺ obtained from the Langmuir model was 67.4mg·g^-1, while Q_m of Cd²⁺ was 14.7mg·g^-1. The contribution of each mechanism varied with increasing oxygen content at a low pyrolysis temperature. Mineral precipitation with Pb²⁺ was the predominant mechanism for Pb²⁺ removal and the contribution proportion significantly increased from 17.2% to 71.7% as pyrolysis oxygen atmosphere increased from 0% to 4%. The results showed that cadmium sorption primarily involved coordination with π electrons, at 54.1-82.6% of the total adsorption capacity. The PP biochar shows potential for application in removing heavy metal contaminants, especially Pb²⁺.

Calcium-rich biochar from the pyrolysis of crab shell for phosphorus removal

Calcium-rich biochars (CRB) prepared through pyrolysis of crab shell at various temperatures were characterized for physicochemical properties and P removal potential. Elemental analysis showed that CRB was rich in calcium (22.91%-36.14%), while poor in carbon (25.21%-9.08%). FTIR, XRD and TG analyses showed that calcite-based CRB was prepared at temperature ≤600 °C, while lime-based CRB was prepared at temperature ≥700 °C. Phosphorus removal experiment showed that P removal efficiencies in 80 mg P/L phosphate solution and biogas effluent ranged from 26% to 11%, respectively, to about 100% and 63%, respectively, depending on the pyrolysis temperature of the resulting biochar. Specifically, compared to common used CaCO₃ and Ca(OH)₂, P removal potential of calcite-based CRB was much higher than that of CaCO₃; while that of lime-based CRB was close to that of Ca(OH)₂. These results suggested that CRB was competent for P removal/recovery from wastewater.

Catalytic valorization of starch-rich food waste into hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF): Controlling relative kinetics for high productivity

This study aimed to maximize the valorization of bread waste, a typical food waste stream, into hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) by improving our kinetic understanding. The highest HMF yield (30mol%) was achieved using SnCl₄ as catalyst, which offered strong derived Brønsted acidity and moderate Lewis acidity. We evaluated the kinetic balance between these acidities to facilitate faster desirable reactions (i.e., hydrolysis, isomerization, and dehydration) relative to undesirable reactions (i.e., rehydration and polymerization). Such catalyst selectivity of SnCl₄, AlCl₃, and FeCl₃ was critical in maximizing HMF yield. Higher temperature made marginal advancement by accelerating the undesirable reactions to a similar extent as the desirable pathways. The polymerization-induced metal-impregnated high-porosity carbon was a possible precursor of biochar-based catalyst, further driving up the economic potential. Preliminary economic analysis indicated a net gain of USD 43-236 per kilogram bread waste considering the thermochemical-conversion cost and chemical-trading revenue.

Stabilization of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) with modified biochar for Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solution

Three types of modified biochar (BC) were produced respectively with acid (HCl) treatment (HCl-BC), base (KOH) treatment (KOH-BC) and oxidation (H₂O₂) treatment (H₂O₂-BC) of raw biochar. Both the raw biochar and modified biochars supported zero valent iron nanopartilces (nZVI) (i.e. nZVI@BC, nZVI@HCl-BC, nZVI@KOH-BC and nZVI@H₂O₂-BC) were synthesized and their capacities for Cr(VI) removal were compared. The results showed that the nZVI@HCl-BC exhibited the best performance and the underlying mechanisms were discussed. The surface elemental distribution maps of the nZVI@HCl-BC after reaction with Cr(VI) showed that Fe, Cr and O elements were deposited on the surface of HCl-BC evenly, indicating that the formed Cr(III)/Fe(III) could settle on the surface of HCl-BC uniformly rather than coated only on the nZVI surface. This reveals that the supporter HCl-BC could also play a role in alleviating the passivation of nZVI. Besides, the effects of mass ratio (nZVI/HCl-BC), pH, and initial Cr(VI) concentration on Cr(VI) removal were examined. At lower mass of HCl-BC, nZVI aggregation cannot be fully inhibited on the surface of HCl-BC, whereas excessive biochar can block the active sites of nZVI. Additionally, it was found that Cr(VI) removal by nZVI@HCl-BC was dependent on both pH and initial Cr(VI) concentration.

Valorisation of post-sorption materials: Opportunities, strategies, and challenges

Adsorption is a facile, economic, eco-friendly and low-energy requiring technology that aims to separate diverse compounds (ions and molecules) from one phase to another using a wide variety of adsorbent materials. To date, this technology has been used most often for removal/recovery of pollutants from aqueous solutions; however, emerging post-sorption technologies are now enabling the manufacture of value-added key adsorption products that can subsequently be used for (i) fertilizers, (ii) catalysis, (iii) carbonaceous metal nanoparticle synthesis, (iv) feed additives, and (v) biologically active compounds. These new strategies ensure the sustainable valorisation of post-sorption materials as an economically viable alternative to the engineering of other green chemical products because of the ecological affability, biocompatibility, and widespread accessibility of post-sorption materials. Fertilizers and feed additives manufactured using sorption technology contain elements such as N, P, Cu, Mn, and Zn, which improve soil fertility and provide essential nutrients to animals and humans. This green and effective approach to managing post-sorption materials is an important step in reaching the global goals of sustainability and healthy human nutrition. Post-sorbents have also been utilized for the harvesting of metal nanoparticles via modern catalytic pyrolysis techniques. The resulting materials exhibited a high surface area (>1000m²/g) and are further used as catalysts and adsorbents. Together with the above possibilities, energy production from post-sorbents is under exploration. Many of the vital 3E (energy, environment, and economy) problems can be addressed using post-sorption materials. In this review, we summarize a new generation of applications of post-adsorbents as value-added green chemical products. At the end of each section, scientific challenges, further opportunities, and issues related to toxicity are discussed. We believe this critical evaluation not only delivers essential contextual information to researchers in the field but also stimulates new ideas and applications to further advance post-sorbent applications.

Nanoscale zero-valent iron supported by biochars produced at different temperatures: Synthesis mechanism and effect on Cr(VI) removal

Biochar-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) produced under different temperatures was studied to evaluate the effect of the nZVI-biochar composite on the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in solution. The structure of biochar-supported nZVI and its roles in Cr(VI) removal were investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and batch experiments. The XRD revealed that the removal rate of Cr(VI) for the nZVI supported by rice straw pyrolyzed at 400 °C (RS400) was much greater than that for other supporting biochar, and the FTIR further indicated that the carboxyl groups and silicon mineral within the biochar served as dual support sites for nZVI. NZVI-RS400 exhibited the highest removal amount of Cr(VI) at approximately 40.0 mg/g under an initial pH of 4.0, possibly due to both the reduction and adsorption processes. Therefore, the RS400-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron could be a preferable material for Cr(VI)-contaminated groundwater.

Fates of Chemical Elements in Biomass during Its Pyrolysis

Biomass is increasingly perceived as a renewable resource rather than as an organic solid waste today, as it can be converted to various chemicals, biofuels, and solid biochar using modern processes. In the past few years, pyrolysis has attracted growing interest as a promising versatile platform to convert biomass into valuable resources. However, an efficient and selective conversion process is still difficult to be realized due to the complex nature of biomass, which usually makes the products complicated. Furthermore, various contaminants and inorganic elements (e.g., heavy metals, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and chlorine) embodied in biomass may be transferred into pyrolysis products or released into the environment, arousing environmental pollution concerns. Understanding their behaviors in biomass pyrolysis is essential to optimizing the pyrolysis process for efficient resource recovery and less environmental pollution. However, there is no comprehensive review so far about the fates of chemical elements in biomass during its pyrolysis. Here, we provide a critical review about the fates of main chemical elements (C, H, O, N, P, Cl, S, and metals) in biomass during its pyrolysis. We overview the research advances about the emission, transformation, and distribution of elements in biomass pyrolysis, discuss the present challenges for resource-oriented conversion and pollution abatement, highlight the importance and significance of understanding the fate of elements during pyrolysis, and outlook the future development directions for process control. The review provides useful information for developing sustainable biomass pyrolysis processes with an improved efficiency and selectivity as well as minimized environmental impacts, and encourages more research efforts from the scientific communities of chemistry, the environment, and energy.

Biochar as potential sustainable precursors for activated carbon production: Multiple applications in environmental protection and energy storage

There is a growing interest of the scientific community on production of activated carbon using biochar as potential sustainable precursors pyrolyzed from biomass wastes. Physical activation and chemical activation are the main methods applied in the activation process. These methods could have significantly beneficial effects on biochar chemical/physical properties, which make it suitable for multiple applications including water pollution treatment, CO₂ capture, and energy storage. The feedstock with different compositions, pyrolysis conditions and activation parameters of biochar have significant influences on the properties of resultant activated carbon. Compared with traditional activated carbon, activated biochar appears to be a new potential cost-effective and environmentally-friendly carbon materials with great application prospect in many fields. This review not only summarizes information from the current analysis of activated biochar and their multiple applications for further optimization and understanding, but also offers new directions for development of activated biochar.

Thermogravimetric pyrolysis kinetics of bamboo waste via Asymmetric Double Sigmoidal (Asym2sig) function deconvolution

Thermogravimetric kinetic of bamboo waste (BW) pyrolysis has been studied using Asymmetric Double Sigmoidal (Asym2sig) function deconvolution. Through deconvolution, BW pyrolytic profiles could be separated into three reactions well, each of which corresponded to pseudo hemicelluloses (P-HC), pseudo cellulose (P-CL), and pseudo lignin (P-LG) decomposition. Based on Friedman method, apparent activation energy of P-HC, P-CL, P-LG was found to be 175.6kJ/mol, 199.7kJ/mol, and 158.4kJ/mol, respectively. Energy compensation effects (lnk_0,z vs. E_z) of pseudo components were in well linearity, from which pre-exponential factors (k₀) were determined as 6.22E+11s^-1 (P-HC), 4.50E+14s^-1 (P-CL) and 1.3E+10s^-1 (P-LG). Integral master-plots results showed pyrolytic mechanism of P-HC, P-CL, and P-LG was reaction order of f(α)=(1-α)², f(α)=1-α and f(α)=(1-α)ⁿ(n=6-8), respectively. Mechanism of P-HC and P-CL could be further reconstructed to n-th order Avrami-Erofeyev model of f(α)=0.62(1-α)[-ln(1-α)]^-0.61(n=0.62) and f(α)=1.08(1-α)[-ln(1-α)]^0.074 (n=1.08). Two-steps reaction was more suitable for P-LG pyrolysis.

Effects of the biochar aromaticity and molecular structures of the chlorinated organic compounds on the adsorption characteristics

Adsorption behaviors of the chlorinated organic compounds (COCs) (i.e., trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TCB); 1,2-dichlorobenzene (1,2-DCB); and monochlorobenzene (MCB)) by the commercial rice husk-based biochar (RH500) and the laboratory-prepared biochars from corn stalks under different pyrolytic temperatures (i.e., CS300, CS500, CS700) were examined and interpreted by the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, the double layer model with two energies, and the Freundlich model. It is identified that the first-order adsorption rate constants (k ₁ = 0.06∼0.51 h^-1) were proportional to the high aromaticity and/or low polarity of biochars and the strong hydrophobicity of the COCs. The saturated adsorption capacity for the COCs was followed by the order of RH500 > CS500 > CS700 > CS300. RH500 showed the highest adsorption capacity for the COCs due to its high surface area (SA) and total pore volume (TPV). However, CS500 with low SA and TPV development highlighted the important roles of the aromaticity and/or low polarity on the COCs adsorption. In addition, 1,2,4-TCB showed the highest saturated adsorption capacity on all biochars, followed by TCE, 1,2-DCB, and MCB. The results further revealed the positive effects of the physical properties (α, N _M, ε ₁, and ε ₂), the hydrophobicity and electrostatic forces (i.e., π-π interaction and electron donor-acceptor interaction) between the adsorbates and the aromatic moieties of biochar surfaces on the adsorption of COCs.

Application of biochar-based catalysts in biomass upgrading: a review

The application of biochars as versatile catalysts and/or catalyst supports for biomass upgrading is systematically overviewed.

Pyrolysis of covalent organic frameworks: a general strategy for template converting conventional skeletons into conducting microporous carbons for high-performance energy storage

A general strategy based on template pyrolysis enables the conversion of conventional covalent organic frameworks into conducting microporous carbons with exceptional energy storage performance.

One-pot synthesis of carbon supported calcined-Mg/Al layered double hydroxides for antibiotic removal by slow pyrolysis of biomass waste

A biochar supported calcined-Mg/Al layered double hydroxides composite (CLDHs/BC) was synthesized by a one-pot slow pyrolysis of LDHs preloaded bagasse biomass. Multiple characterizations of the product illustrated that the calcined-Mg/Al layered double hydroxides (CLDHs) were successfully coated onto the biochar in slow pyrolysis of pre-treated biomass. The as-synthesized CLDHs/BC could efficiently remove antibiotic tetracycline from aqueous solutions. The coating of CLDHs significantly increased the adsorption ability of biochar, and CLDHs/BC exhibited more than 2 times higher adsorption capacity than that of the pristine biochar (BC) in the tested pH range. The maximum adsorption capacity of CLDHs/BC for tetracycline was 1118.12 mg/g at 318 K. The experimental results suggested that the interaction with LDHs on biochar played a dominant role in tetracycline adsorption, accompanied with π–π interaction and hydrogen bond. This study provides a feasible and simple approach for the preparation of high-performance material for antibiotics contaminated wastewater treatment in a cost-effective way.

Biosorbents based on agricultural wastes for ionic liquid removal: An approach to agricultural wastes management

Modified biochars produced from different agricultural wastes were used as low-cost biosorbents to remove hydrophilic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride ([BMIM][Cl]). Herein, the biosorbents based on peanut shell, corn stalk and wheat straw (denoted as PB-K-N, CB-K-N and WB-K-N) all exhibited higher [BMIM][Cl] removal than many other carbonaceous adsorbents and the adsorption capacities were as the following: PB-K-N > CB-K-N > WB-K-N. The characterizations of biosorbents indicated that they had great deal of similarity in morphological, textural and surface chemical properties such as possessing simultaneously accessible microporous structure and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups. Additionally, adsorption of [BMIM][Cl] onto PB-K-N, CB-K-N and WB-K-N prepared from the modified process, which was better described by pseudo-second order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. Therefore, the viable approach could also be applied in other biomass materials treatment for the efficient removal of ILs from aqueous solutions, as well as recycling agricultural wastes to ease their disposal pressure.

Lignin-rich biomass of cotton by-products for biorefineries via pyrolysis

Pyrolysis was demonstrated to investigate the thermal decomposition characteristics and potential of lignin-rich cotton by-products cotton exocarp (CE) and spent mushroom substrate consisted of cotton by-products (MSC) for biorefineries. The chemical component and structure alteration of CE and MSC was found to affect their thermochemical behaviors. The bio-oil yield from CE was 58.13wt% while the maximum yield from MSC was 45.01% at 600°C. The phenolic compounds obtained from CE and MSC were 33.9% and 39.2%, respectively. The yield of acetic acid from MSC between 400 and 600°C was about 30-38% lower than that from CE, which suggests the high quality of bio-oil was obtained. Biochar from MSC via slow pyrolysis had a high mass yield (44.38wt%) with well-developed pore structure.

Bioinspired 2D-Carbon Flakes and Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Composite for Arsenite Removal

Development of carbon-based materials has received tremendous attention owing to their multifunctional properties. Biomaterials often serve as an inspiration for the preparation of new carbon materials. Herein, we present a facile synthesis of a new bioinspired graphene oxide-like 2D-carbon flake (CF) using a natural resource, waste onion sheathing (Allium cepa). The 2D-CF was further decorated with crystalline Fe3O4 nanoparticles for applications. Superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (7 nm) were well-dispersed on the surface of the 2D-CF, which was characterized by X-ray diffractometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Batch As(III) adsorption experiments showed that aqueous arsenic ions strongly adsorbed to the Fe3O4@2D-CF composite. The adsorption capacity of the Fe3O4@2D-CF composite for As(III) was 57.47 mg g(-1). The synergetic effect of both graphene oxide-like 2D-CF and Fe3O4 nanoparticles aided in excellent As(III) adsorption. An As(III) ion adsorption kinetics study showed that adsorption was very fast at the initial stage, and equilibrium was reached within 60 min following a pseudo-second-order rate model. Owing to the excellent superparamagnetic properties (52.6 emu g(-1)), the Fe3O4@2D-CF composite exhibited superb reusability with the shortest recovery time (28 s) among reported materials. This study indicated that Fe3O4@2D-CF composites can be used for practical applications as a global economic material for future generations.

Construction of 3D nanostructure hierarchical porous graphitic carbons by charge-induced self-assembly and nanocrystal-assisted catalytic graphitization for supercapacitors

A smart and sustainable strategy based on charge-induced self-assembly and nanocrystal-assisted catalytic graphitization is explored for the efficient construction of 3D nanostructure hierarchical porous graphitic carbons from the pectin biopolymer.