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[Display omitted] • ZnCl 2 -activated biochar from sludge successfully adsorbed total NAs in raw OSPW. • Pore filling, hydrogen bonding, and π − π interactions were the adsorption mechanisms. • Biochar had selectivity for NAs with hydrophobic and higher cyclicity characteristics. • Microtox® assay indicated 66% reduction in acute toxicity after biochar treatment. • 91% reduction of bioavailability of organics was observed in OSPW treated with sludge biochar. Large volumes of oil sands process water (OSPW) containing naphthenic acids (NAs) and other contaminants are generated by oil sands operations. For the first time, pristine and zinc chloride-activated biochars from sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant are studied in the adsorption of NAs in real OSPW. By using activated biochar instead of pristine biochar, the adsorption capacity (q t) for total NAs (classical and oxidized NAs) increased from 2.3 to 26.6 mg/g. The increase in q t for activated biochar was related to the improvement of surface area from 7.9 to 513 m2/g, the abundance of mesopores (89% of pore volume), and the oxygen-containing surface groups. Equilibrium was reached at 2 h of contact time. Considering the thousands of structures of NAs in the OSPW, the activated biochar presented higher affinity for NAs with higher carbon and double bond equivalency numbers, therefore, NAs with more hydrophobic and higher cyclicity characteristics. Pore-filling, hydrogen bonding, and π-π interactions are the adsorption mechanisms. Thermal regeneration of spent activated biochar was studied, and in the fifth cycle of regeneration, the regenerated biochar had q t of 7.1 mg/g, which was 5 times higher than the adsorption capacity of fresh pristine biochar. Adsorption treatment of OSPW using activated biochar decreased the following parameters: metals Mg (7%), Ca (21%), Sr (27%), and Ba (60%), organic matter by means of DOC (63%) and COD (66%), acute toxicity towards V. fischeri (66%) and bioavailability of organics (91%). These findings promote circular economy as it presents an efficient adsorbent for NAs in OSPW developed from sludge, reducing the environmental impact associated with sludge disposal and allowing the efficient reclamation and reuse of OSPW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The photochemical reactions of ferric citrate were used to treat OSPW. • NAs could be effectively degraded by ferric citrate under visible light irradiation. • Photocatalytic activity of ferric citrate was greatly affected by the initial pH of OSPW. • Hydroxyl radical was the dominant reactive species in the process. • The photochemical reactions of ferric citrate could produce both Fe2+ and H 2 O 2 in situ. An environmental-friendly treatment method based on photochemical reactions of ferricarboxylate complexes was developed for the treatment of oil sands process water (OSPW). Without using H 2 O 2 , the classical naphthenic acids (NAs), one of the organic compounds present in OSPW, can be effectively degraded by ferric citrate under visible light irradiation. Photochemical reaction activity of ferric citrate was greatly affected by the initial pH of OSPW. In acidic conditions, ferric citrate exhibited an extremely high degradation ratio of classical NAs, 98.3% (initial pH 3) and 96.8% (initial pH 5). Once initial pH exceeded 5, the degradation ratio of classical NAs in OSPW decreased quickly, and the degradation ratio of classical NAs could reach 65.7% (initial pH 7) and 42.4% (without adjusting pH, initial pH 8.9), respectively. It was found that the structure of NAs had little impact on the removal efficiency of NAs. It was also confirmed through scavenger experiments and reaction mechanism study that hydroxyl radical was the dominant reactive species in the process. The study demonstrated that ferric citrate possesses excellent visible light absorption ability and the photochemical reactions of ferric citrate can produce both Fe2+ and H 2 O 2 in situ , Fenton reagent, which non-selectively degrade NAs of OSPW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]