A passively immobilized novel biomagsorbent for the effective biosorptive treatment of dye contamination

Magnetic biochar as a revolutionizing approach for diverse dye pollutants elimination: A comprehensive review

The term "biomass" encompasses all substances found in the natural world that were once alive or derived from living organisms or their byproducts. These substances consist of organic molecules containing hydrogen, typically oxygen, frequently nitrogen, and small amounts of heavy, alkaline earth and alkali metals. Magnetic biochar refers to a type of material derived from biomass that has been magnetized typically by adding magnetic components such as magnetic iron oxides to display magnetic properties. These materials are extensively applicable in widespread areas like environmental remediation and catalysis. The magnetic properties of these compounds made them ideal for practical applications through their easy separation from a reaction mixture or environmental sample by applying a magnetic field. With the evolving global strategy focused on protecting the planet and moving towards a circular, cost-effective economy, natural compounds, and biomass have become particularly important in the field of biochemistry. The current research explores a comparative analysis of the versatility and potential of biomass for eliminating dyes as a sustainable, economical, easy, compatible, and biodegradable method. The elimination study focused on the removal of various dyes as pollutants. Various operational parameters which influenced the dye removal process were also discussed. Furthermore, the research explained, in detail, adsorption kinetic models, types of isotherms, and desorption properties of magnetic biochar adsorbents. This comprehensive review offers an advanced framework for the effective use of magnetic biochar, removing dyes from textile wastewater.

Ethanol templated synthesis of microporous/mesoporous nanozinc oxide with multi-level structure and its outstanding photo-catalytic properties

Zinc oxide has been of interest because of its efficient redox capacity in the UV spectral region. However, the high bandwidth limits its application in the visible region. Although synthesizing heterojunctions and doping with other elements have become the focus of the problem, it inevitably has an impact on the environment. In contrast, the template method is not only environmentally friendly but also can be used to increase the degradation rate by changing the nanoparticle mesoporous structure. Microporous/mesoporous zinc oxide with multi-level structure was synthesized using anhydrous ethanol as a green templating agent in a mild and energy-efficient method. The prepared nZnO was characterized using XRD, SEM, BET, and HR-TEM. XRD confirmed that the formation of hexagonal wurtzite zincite nZnO with good crystallinity. SEM results showed that the products were flower-like structures composed of nanosheets with a thickness of 20 nm and an average diameter of 400 nm. TEM and BET confirmed the presence of pits with diameters ranging from about 1 nm to 20 nm existed on the surface of the nanosheets, while the specific surface area of 28.05 m2/g and the pore volume of 0.069 cm3/g also provide advantages for nZnO as a photocatalytic material. The synthesized nZnO overcame the disadvantage of responding only in the UV region, and the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of MB reached 93.2% after 60 min of xenon lamp irradiation, and stabilized at 86.15% after five photocycling tests. Compared with other kinds of templates, anhydrous ethanol has the advantages of environmental friendliness and simple post-processing, and it also provides ideas for the synthesis of multilevel structures of other nanomaterials.