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In this study, the biochar (BC) produced from sawdust, sludge, reed and walnut were used to support sulfidation of nano-zero-valent-iron (S-nZVI) to enhance nitrate (NO

The combined pollution of heavy metals is ubiquitous worldwide. Mn/Al-layered double oxide-loaded crab shells biochar (LDO/BC) was prepared, so as to remediate the combined pollution of Cd and Cu in soil and water. The pristine and used LDO/BC were characterized and the results revealed that the layered double oxide was successfully loaded on crab shells biochar (BC) and metal element Ca in crab shells was beneficial to the formation of more regular layered and flake structure. The maximal adsorption capacity (Q

Materials and colloids science can provide significant contributions to the conservation of Cultural Heritage. Hybrid systems made of a castor oil-derived polymeric network and a disperse phase of zinc oxide particles (ZnO/COPs) can be more effective absorbers of acetic acid (AcOH, a major pollutant harmful to artifacts in museums and art collections) than state-of-the-art materials, provided the acid uptake mechanism by the hybrids is elucidated and optimized. The starting hypothesis was that the polymer matrix might act as transporter, while acid adsorption would take place at the ZnO particles surface. The effect of particles size was expected to play a significant role.The adsorption kinetics of the hybrids were studied in the 23-45˚C range, in comparison with activated charcoal, the benchmark employed by conservators. Morphological and fractal dimension of ZnO micro- and nano-particles in the hybrid networks were investigated and correlated to the adsorption kinetics.The presence of a two-steps mechanism for AcOH uptake by the hybrids was demonstrated for the first time: a combination of Fickian diffusion and Case-II transport occurs in the COP matrix, and adsorption dominates acid uptake (followed by neutralization) at the particles surface. This mechanism is likely key to explain the enhanced performances of the hybrids vs activated charcoal and state-of-the-art tools to remove AcOH. The hybrids have high uptake capacity, and lower activation energies for the removal process than materials where the uptake of acid relies solely on adsorption. The size of the ZnO particles contributes to the process, i.e. nanoparticles form smaller and ramified fractal clusters that are able to adsorb AcOH more effectively than microparticles. These insights demonstrated the efficacy of the novel hybrids in art conservation, where the control of minimal concentrations of VOCs is crucial for the preventive conservation of masterpieces, and can be useful to other fields where efficient capture of acetic acid is critical (food industry, textile dyeing/printing, etc.).

Anaerobic digestion is considered an environmentally benign process for the recycling of food waste into biogas. However, unscientific disposal of ammonium-rich food waste digestate (FWD), a by-product of anaerobic digestion induces environmental issues such as odor nuisances, water pollution, phytotoxicity and pathogen transformations in soil, etc. In the present study, FWD produced from anaerobic digestion of source-separated food waste from markets and industries was used for converting FWD into biofertilizer using 20-L bench scale composters. The issues of nitrogen loss, NH

The feasibility of decomplexation removal of typical contaminants in electroplating wastewater, complexed Cu(II) with 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (Cu-HEDP), was first performed by a three-dimensional electrode reactor with activated biochar as particle electrodes. For the case of 50 mg/L Cu-HEDP, Cu(II) removal (90.7%) and PO

Natural green algaes (GAs) was treated with NaCl solution to prepare metal- silicates (S-C-FeSi-3 and S-C-CuSi-3) with high electrochemical performance. Then, the as-synthesized samples were soaked in NaOH solution to obtain etched metal silicates (e-S-C-FeSi-3 and e-S-C-CuSi-3). This novel method was used to generate a more porous structure with a higher specific surface area. In the three-electrode system, e-S-C-FeSi-3 and e-S-C-CuSi-3 showed the best electrochemical performance (476 F g

This paper presents a method of agricultural waste management - the production of two biochars (BC) from potato and raspberry stems. It defines the potential of these materials for remediation of degraded water and soil environments. The performed study included analyses of BC physicochemistry, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release and ability to immobilize copper (Cu), tetracycline (TC) and carboxin (CB) in one- and two-adsorbate systems. The BCs were obtained with pyrolysis at 600 °C for 30 min in a nitrogen atmosphere. Their DOC was predominantly constituted of substances with large molecular weights and high aromaticity, meaning that both BCs can be safely applied as soil additives. Potato-biochar (P-BC) had a more developed surface than raspberry-biochar (R-BC). The specific surface area (S

Exploring an emerging carbon-based material with optimized structure and controlled porosity is of significance for further heightening the capacitive deionization (CDI) performance and solving the problem of emergency fresh water supply. Herein, a porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanopolyhedra with hierarchical pores prepared via using zeolite-type metal-organic framework (ZIF-8) as precursor is reported and used for CDI. In order to prepare the nanomaterials with abundant hierarchical pore structure, the synthetic route of carbonization followed by HCl-activation is adopted. The resulting nitrogen-doped carbon materials exhibit a bimodal porosity containing micro- and meso-pores, high specific surface area, and numerous exposed adsorption active sites. The excellent performance in structure ensures the ultrahigh desalination capacity of 37.52 mg g

In this work, a phosphoric acid (H

The removal of phosphate ions by capacitive deionization has become one of the most frontier research topics in the water treatment field in recent years. In this work, hybrid electrodes composed of nickel-iron layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) – anchored on activated carbon fiber (ACF)–were synthesized by a hydrothermal method and subsequently applied in capacitive deionization to remove phosphate ions. The adsorption performance of the two hybrid electrodes on phosphate ions was compared by capacitive deionization experiments. The experiment was carried out for 3 hours to reach equilibrium, and the optimum adsorption of 33.48 mg/g was obtained using NiFe-LDH/ACF-2 hybrid electrode at room temperature (25 °C) and pH = 6.0. The results showed that increasing the loading capacity of NiFe-LDH on ACF might enhance the adsorption capacity of phosphate ions. Furthermore, the calculation of adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms elucidated that the adsorption capacity increased with the increasing of applied voltage. Meanwhile, the experimental data were fitted well with pseudo-first-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherms. Notably, it was observed that the pH first increased, then decreased during the adsorption due to the electrolysis of water, while the form of phosphate ions was transformed, with low pH favoring the adsorption of phosphate ions.

In this work, the effect of activated carbon particles on the production of xylonic acid from xylose by Gluconobacter oxydans in a stirred tank bioreactor was investigated. The enhancement of the oxygen transfer coefficient by activated carbon particles was experimentally evaluated under different solids volume fractions, agitation and aeration rates conditions. The experimental conditions optimized by response surface methodology (agitation speed 800 rpm, aeration rate 7 L min

Cyclohexane is a representative of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs can cause serious health problems in case of continuous exposure; therefore, it is essential to develop efficient personal protective equipment. Historically, activated carbons are used as VOC adsorbents. However, the emergence of promising novel adsorbents, such as metal-organic frameworks, has pushed the research to study their behavior under the same conditions. In this work, the use of the well-known HKUST-1 MOF of different particle sizes (20 μm, 300-600 μm, and 1-1.18 mm) for the adsorption of low-grade (5000 ppm) cyclohexane combined with different water concentrations (dry, 27 and 80% RH) in a fixed bed is proposed. The results were compared under the same conditions for a typically used activated carbon, PICACTIF TA 60. HKUST-1 has higher affinity to cyclohexane than PICACTIF for the whole pressure range studied, especially at low partial pressures. It begins to adsorb much earlier (0.0025 kPa) than the activated carbon (0.01 kPa). However, a different adsorption behavior is evidenced for both materials in the presence of water vapor since HKUST-1 is very hydrophilic in the zone near to the copper open metal sites, whereas PICACTIF is hydrophobic. After three consecutive cycles, good stability results were obtained for the MOF, comparable to activated carbon, even in the presence of water. As the main finding, although the unstability of HKUST-1 is well established under high humid conditions, the kinetic of degradation has not been established so far. Here, it is shown that the time usage of HKUST-1 as the adsorbent for respiratory mask (single pass) is not affected by the degradation of the structure, which may occur on a longer time scale. Finally, shaping by tableting provides good results since it is possible to increase the MOF density by around 69% with minor loss of adsorption capacity. The best fraction is 300-600 μm, reaching cyclohexane breakthrough times around 85 min/cm

The effects of synthetic fertilizer and nutrient leaching are causing serious problems impacting soil function and its fertility. Mitigation of nutrient leaching and use of chemical fertilizer is crucial as fertile land adds up sustainability to climate changes. Biochar produced from agricultural bio-waste and municipal solid waste has been used for crop production and when applied in combination with organic nutrients may support mitigation of nutrient loss and adverse effects of chemical fertilizers. Different types of biochar and their application for soil enhancement have been observed, pine needle and sewage sludge derived low-temperature biochar along with compost, organic fertilizer in the form of manure and microalgal biomass may interact with soil chemistry and plant growth to impact nutrient loss and compensate the hazardous effect of chemical fertilizer, but it has not been investigated yet. This present study elaborates application of sewage sludge and pine needle biochar produced at 400 °C in an application rate of 5 % w/w and 10 t h-1 in combination with compost, manure and microalgal biomasses of Closteriopsis acicularis (BM1) and Tetradesmus nygaardi (BM2) on the growth of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) crop assessed in a pot experiment over a two crop (Chickpea - Fenugreek) cycle in Pakistan. Results depict that the pine needle biochar with additives has increased plant height by 104.1 ± 2.76 cm and fresh biomass by 49.9 ± 1.02 g, buffered the soil pH to 6.5 for optimum growth of crops and enhance carbon retention by 36 %. This study highlights the valorization of sewage sludge and pine needle into biochar and the effect of biochar augmentation, its impact on soil nutrients and plant biomass enhancement. The greener approach also mitigates and helps in the sustainable management of solid wastes.

Biochar has been used as an environment-friendly enhancer to improve the soil hydraulic properties. Previous studies focused on the effect of biochar addition for irrigation in agricultural soils. However, the understanding of the influence of biochar addition on water infiltration in compacted soils as used in landfill covers is limited. This study investigated the effects of peanut shell biochar addition on soil water infiltration with consideration of soil microstructure variations. The performance of biochar-amended soil was also explored under extreme rainfall and drought conditions. In this experiment, peanut shell biochar with particles finer than 0.25 mm was amended into compacted silty sand. Index soil properties and microstructure were observed. One-dimension (1-D) column tests and corresponding numerical modelling were carried out to investigate the performance of this cover material under different climate scenarios. The results suggested that the application of biochar can increase soil porosity, but a significant number of large pores (i.e., larger than 20 μm) was minimized. With the application of biochar, the soil covers thus become more efficient in preventing infiltration and percolation. This is also crucial to minimize the need for a relatively large thickness of soil cover. With an increase in porosity, the biochar can improve the soil water retention. Under extreme drought, the application of biochar can reduce the very low pore-water pressure (PWP) in soils by more than 50%. From all of these, peanut shell biochar can potentially be an eco-friendly and more sustainable solution for soil covers, even under extreme climate conditions.

The genus Streptomyces includes many antifungal metabolite-producing novel strains. Fusarium oxysporum soil-inhabiting pathogenic fungi, that affects rice to cause wilt disease. This work demonstrates the efficacy of novel Streptomyces chilikensis strain RC1830, previously isolated from estuarine habitat Chilika Lake in preventing the F. oxysporum wilting/root rot disease and promoting the growth of rice (Var. Swarna) seedlings. A total of 25 different compounds were identified from crude extracts of S. chilikensis RC1830 by GC–MS. In pot trial experiments, Streptomyces-treated rice seedlings showed significantly reduced disease severity index by 80·51%. The seedlings growth parameters (root length, root fresh weight and root dry weight) were also increased by 53·91, 62·5 and 73·46%, respectively, in Streptomyces-treated groups of seedlings compared to Fusarium-infected seedlings. Similarly, the shoot length, shoot dry weight and shoot fresh weight were also increased by 26, 58 and 34·4%, respectively, in Streptomyces-treated groups of seedlings compared to Fusarium-infected seedlings. Formulations of the strain were prepared using seven organic and inorganic wastes as the carrier material and the shelf lives of the propagules were also monitored. Vermiculite and activated charcoal formulations stored at 4°C exhibited a higher viable cell count after 3 months of storage.

Many consumer and industrial products, industrial wastes and dewatered sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are disposed of in landfills at the end of their usage, with PFAS in these products leached into landfill leachates. On-site leachate treatment is one possible method to reduce PFAS in leachates. Many landfills are equipped with on-site leachate treatment systems, but few full-scale facilities have been systematically evaluated for PFAS concentration changes. The objective of this study was to evaluate a cross-section of full-scale on-site landfill treatment systems to measure changes in PFAS concentrations. Leachate samples were collected before and after treatment from 15 facilities and were evaluated for 26 PFAS, including 11 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), 7 perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs), and 8 perfluoroalkyl acid precursors (PFAA-precursors). Transformation of precursors was evaluated by the total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay. Results showed no obvious reductions in total measured PFAS (∑

Nitrogen (N) losses during fertilization with livestock slurry, mainly in the form of ammonia (NH

Wood biomass felling for fuel negatively impacted on the structuring and functioning of ecosystem worldwide. Consequently, increasing soil erosion, reduction in soil moisture, content, fertility, and decline vegetation cover. The study area comprised four districts: Leme, Rimi, Jama’a and Tilden Fulani in Toro LGA, Bauchi State, purposively chosen because of their high fuel wood activity. Charcoal producers were sampled, using stratified sampling methods while traditional leadership and the department of Forestry officials were purposefully sampled for their involvement in fuelwood and forest management of the area. Fifty (50) fuel wood and charcoal producers were chosen per district. A total of two hundred (200) sampled respondents and four each of the traditional leaders and forestry officials in the four districts were investigated. Apparent collapse of traditional governance system correlated with fuelwood exploitation (especially for charcoal production) and remained a threat to sustainability of forest and forest products management. Poverty was the main driver to resource destruction, as only 34% were employed.67%, 71% and 59% indicated impact on environment, temperature, and erosion due to charcoal production.Charcoal producers obtained the trees and logs for charcoal production from the natural forest and 88% of them use life trees, cutting above 40cm above the ground level. This method of harvesting from the forest inhibits replenishment commensurate with the rate of extraction. The study showed that poverty, unemployment, ignorance and lack of education have great and direct negative impact on the environment as global warming, ozone layer depletion and climate change are evident.

Este artículo está sujeto a una licencia CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, [EN] The dehesa of Zacatena was owned by the Order of Calatrava from the twelfth century until its sale in 1763. The incorporation of the military orders and their assets to the Crown since the late fifteenth century, and their management by the Council of Orders have bequeathed extensive documentation that allows us to know details about the exploitation of this meadow lands, which are placed at the current National Park of the “Tablas de Daimiel”. The extraction of firewood was a fundamental product of the dehesas, in addition to pasture for livestock. The production of firewood obtained in an area of more than 6000 ha in the sixteenth century, and the estimate to make charcoal in the eighteenth century, compared with the figures of current and historical studies, confirm the benefit for the conservation of the oaks derived from the fact that Zacatena was administered by the Crown, under the supervision of a senior guard and his assistants. Assessments are given in the conversion of the old units of measurement used for firewood and charcoal, with respect to the current metrology. The visits with “eye view”, and the practices used in pruning and harvesting the holm oaks have revealed unprecedented information about traditional forestry and the procedures applied for the clearing and sustainable conservation of Mediterranean forests., [ES] La dehesa de Zacatena fue propiedad de la Orden de Calatrava desde el siglo XII hasta su venta en 1763. La incorporación de las órdenes militares y de sus bienes a la Corona desde finales del siglo XV y su gestión por el Consejo de Órdenes han legado una amplia documentación que permite conocer detalles sobre la explotación de esta finca, que coincide con el actual Parque Nacional de las Tablas de Daimiel. La extracción de leña era un producto fundamental de las dehesas, además del pasto para el ganado. La producción de leña obtenida en una extensión de más de 6000 ha en el siglo XVI y la estimación para fabricar carbón vegetal en el siglo XVIII, comparadas con las cifras de estudios actuales e históricos, confirman el beneficio para la conservación de las encinas derivado de que Zacatena estuviera administrada por la Corona, bajo la vigilancia de un guarda mayor y de sus ayudantes. Se ofrecen valoraciones en la conversión de las medidas antiguas empleadas para la leña y el carbón, respecto a la metrología actual. Las visitas con «vista de ojos» y las prácticas empleadas en la poda y entresaca de las encinas han desvelado informaciones inéditas sobre la silvicultura tradicional y las medidas aplicadas para el desbroce y conservación sostenible de los bosques mediterráneos.

In this study, activated carbon (AC) was chemically activated using sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and polyethyleneimine (PEI) was grafted onto the AC using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent. Then the modified AC was applied to treat water samples containing copper ions (Cu2+). Preparation of AC-NaOH@PEI. The grafted AC was characterized, demonstrating that the specific surface area of material decreased from 959.3 to 556.9 m2/g. The ζ-potential changed from −27.2 to 10.4 mV, and the presence of a distinct flocculation on the surface of the AC was observed via scanning electron microscopy. The results demonstrated that PEI was successfully grafted onto the surface of AC. Furthermore, the adsorption results indicated that the Cu2+ adsorption capacity of AC-NaOH@PEI was greatly enhanced with increasing PEI loading. The adsorption amount of Cu2+ by the grafted AC-NaOH@PEI-200 increased from 20.02 to 47.8 mg/g. In addition, the adsorption of Cu2+ by AC-NaOH@PEI was a pH dependent process. At a pH of 6, the maximum removal rate reached 93%. The adsorption process is better described by the Langmuir and quasi-second order adsorption models, signifying that the adsorption of Cu2+ on AC@PEI consists of monolayer adsorption and chemisorption. After four adsorption-desorption cycles, AC@PEI exhibited high adsorption capacity for Cu2+, indicating that it has good regeneration ability. It is a promising adsorbent material.

In this study, an acid-treated-activated carbon was prepared from chestnut oak shell carbonization followed by modification with hydrochloric acid/nitric acid and then used as a new sorbent for headspace needle-trap extraction of chlorophenol compounds from aqueous solutions. Different techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy were used for the characterization of the sorbents. The effects of some experimental parameters, including the temperature, pH, sorbent amount, and time of extraction were optimized. The developed method is fast and sensitive, providing low and sub ng/L detection limits. The limits of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.75-5 and 5-15 ng/ml, respectively, and the equilibrium time was 20 min. Wide linearity in the range of 15-2000 ng/L with R

In-service granular activated carbon (GAC) may transform into biological activated carbon (BAC) and remove contaminants through both adsorption and biodegradation, but it is difficult to determine its biodegradative capacity. One approach to understand the GAC biodegradative capacity is to compare the performance between unsterilized and sterilized GAC, but the sterilization methods may not ensure effective microbial inhibition and may affect adsorption. This study identified the

Delayed neurological sequelae (DNS) are a severe complication of carbon monoxide poisoning (COP) and high predisposing rates of disability and mortality, yet the relationship between exposure factors and DNS remains unknown. The aim was to investigate the association between domestic sources of COP and DNS.Patients diagnosed with COP between December 2016 and November 2021 were included and divided into two groups according to their sources of poisoning and the endpoint outcome was analyzed by logistic regression before and after propensity score matching (PSM).Overall, medical data from 314 patients were analyzed. In multivariate logistic regression, advanced age (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.028, 95% CI: 1.008-1.049, P = 0.007), longer duration of exposure to the first treatment of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) (AOR: 1.081, 95% CI: 1.036-1.127, P = 0.001), and intoxication by charcoal burning (AOR: 3.24, 95% CI: 1.208-8.69, P = 0.019) were associated with a higher risk of developing DNS. After 1:1 PSM, the outcomes also revealed that charcoal burning intoxication (odds ratio (OR): 8.396, 95% CI: 3.342-21.095, P0.001) was associated with greater odds of DNS.This study indicates that domestic COP caused by charcoal burning is more likely to trigger DNS than gas-emitting heaters.

Dosing powdered activated carbon (PAC) has been proven to be an economical and effective method to mitigate membrane fouling. However, the effects of pretreated PAC with different redox properties on membrane fouling still need to be further investigated. Here, the impact of commercial PAC, oxidized-PAC, and reduced-PAC on membrane fouling was investigated in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). Surprisingly, the filtration cycles were extended from 12-36 h to 132-156 h only by dosing reduced-PAC and commercial PAC with a finial dosage of 3 g/L, which were provided with reductive properties. However, few improvements of filtration cycle (less than 50 h) were achieved by dosing oxidized-PAC in the same dosage, which had the same adsorption performance as reduced-PAC and commercial PAC. The biomass and foulant concentration suggested that the enhanced anti-fouling performances by PAC with reductive properties were mainly attributed to the reduction of extracellular polymer substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) content in the bulk solutions after 14 days of continuous operation. The model foulant degradation tests and the confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) images of activated sludge further demonstrated that PAC with reductive properties directly affected the microbial activities by controlling the EPS and SMP concentrations in the bulk solution, thereby suppressing membrane fouling. Such a finding provides new insights into anti-fouling mechanisms that the redox properties of PAC played a decisive role in membrane fouling mitigation, and also provides a strategy to prolong the anti-fouling effects by restoring the reductive properties of PAC. KEY POINTS: • The anti-fouling mechanisms of PAC with reductive property were investigated. • Reductive property was the main reason for fouling control instead of adsorption. • PAC with reductive property hindered the sludge activity to produce fewer foulants.

Selective catalytic ammonia-to-dinitrogen oxidation (NH

Incomplete combustion of wood releases toxic chemicals. Exposure to these chemicals during charcoal production can modulate redox status of cellular system which may further lead to genomic instability and of antioxidant enzymes. Genetic polymorphism may alter the functioning properties of these enzymes and modulate the response to oxidative stress.In this study, we analyzed the link between genetic polymorphism and enzyme activity for antioxidant enzymes: MnSOD and GPx-1 in charcoal workers and control population. This study included 77 charcoal workers and 79 demographically matched healthy control subjects. This association was studied using multiple linear regression, adjusted for confounding factors viz. age, consumption habits and exposure duration.SOD activity was lower for TT genotype (3.47 ± 0.66; 5.92 ± 1.08) versus CC genotype (3.47 ± 0.66; 6.67 ± 1.60) in control and charcoal workers respectively. Significant lower GPx-1 activity was found in leu/leu genotype (7.25 ± 0.38; 3.59 ± 0.57) when compared to pro/pro genotype (7.78 ± 0.59; 4.28 ± 0.71) and pro/leu genotype (8.48 ± 0.34; 4.30 ± 0.76) in control population and charcoal workers respectively. A significant difference in the levels of 1-Hydroxypyrene (biomarker of exposure) and SOD and GPx-1 activity (biomarkers of oxidative stress) was evident in exposed group in comparison to the control one.Collectively, our findings suggested that PAH influenced the mode of action of SOD and GPx-1 which were impacted by polymorphism in SOD and GPx-1 gene. Hence, polymorphism of MnSOD and GPx-1 genes were found to play a modulatory role in human susceptibility to oxidative damage induced by wood smoke in charcoal workers.

Biochar produced from biomass has been increasingly used as an environmentally friendly and low-cost adsorbent. This study systemically evaluated the effects of raw materials including corn straw (CS), cattle manure (CM), and cherry woods (CW) as well as pyrolysis temperature (400, 500, and 600 °C) on the physicochemical properties, such as morphological structure, element content, and surface functionality of biochars. The batch experiments of -N adsorption using anaerobic digested slurry (ADS) confirmed that CM600 (biochar derived from CM at 600 °C) had the highest adsorption capacity of 18.16 mg·g−1. The effects of coexisting ions in ADS, biochar dosage, adsorption time and initial concentration on –N adsorption from ADS by the biochars were evaluated. The results of the batch equilibrium and kinetics experiments showed that Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model well described -N adsorption by the biochars, indicating that physical and chemical adsorption occurred simultaneously. Furthermore, compared to the biochar-modified method, the raw material-modified biochar (CM600-modified biochar) showed excellent adsorption capacity with a maximum of 69.82 mg·g−1 (284% increase) for the high -N concentration (4,000 mg·L−1) from ADS. Therefore, it was concluded that high-concentration nitrogen recovery from ADS using modified biochar was an effective method.

The frequency of crater-producing asteroid impacts on Earth is not known. Of the predicted Holocene asteroid impact craters of

Bioretention is commonly used for runoff pollution control. The first flush strength of pollutants can affect bioretention performance. To examine the influence of the first flush strength on bioretention performance, bioretention columns filled with garden soil as the main media were established. Activated carbon and water treatment residuals (WTR) were added and compared for their ability to enhance phosphorus removal. Waste edible fungus culture medium (WEFCM) as a carbon source was also explored. When WEFCM was used as a carbon source instead of wood chips, total nitrogen (TN) removal increased from 60.83 ± 21.22 to 62.21 ± 16.43%, but chemical oxygen demand (COD) leaching was observed. WTR was better able than activated carbon to enhance phosphorus removal (87.97 ± 8.87 vs. 81.66 ± 9.27%) without impacting TN removal. NH4+-N removal increased with increasing first flush strength, but there was no trend for suspended solids (SS), COD, TN, or total phosphorus. First leaching phenomenon in bioretention outflow was proposed in this study. A low first leaching was observed in the outflow when the inflow had a uniform pollutant mass (i.e., no first flush) because of media leaching. A weak first leaching outflow was observed for SS and COD when they were present at strong first flush inflow.

The great concern over the environmental impact of wastewaters has led to the designing of advanced treatment processes to upgrade conventional treatment plants and achieve a significant reduction of contaminants in receiving waters. In the present study we combined chemical and ecotoxicological analyses, aiming to evaluate the reduction of toxicity effects associated with the removal of micropollutants and to define the contribution of the detected compounds to the overall toxicity of the mixtures in a series of wastewater effluents collected from a secondary treatment (OUT 2) and from a tertiary activated carbon treatment (OUT 3) plant. The target compounds were selected after a screening procedure among pharmaceuticals, musk fragrances, and trace metals. The classical algal growth inhibition test was conducted on the original effluent samples and on different fractions obtained by solid-phase extraction (SPE) treatment. A good accordance was found between the removal of toxicity (30%-80%) and organic compounds (70%-80%) after the tertiary treatment, suggesting its high efficiency to improve the wastewater quality. The discrepancy between the contribution to the overall toxicity of the nonadsorbable compounds (i.e., inorganic or very polar organic compounds) as experimentally measured by the SPE bioassays (18%-76%) and calculated by the concentration addition approach (97%) could be mitigated by including the bioavailability correction in metal-toxicity modeling of wastewater mixtures. For the organic compounds, the toxic equivalency method enabled us to quantify the portion of toxicity explained by the detected chemicals in both OUT 2 (82%-104%) and OUT 3 (5%-57%), validating the selection of the target molecules. The applied integrating approach could be implemented by the inclusion of both additional target chemicals and toxicity endpoints. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:2404-2419. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Groundwater and surface water bodies may have contaminants from urban, industrial, or agricultural wastewater, including emerging contaminants (ECs) or micropollutants (MPs). Frequently, they are not efficiently removed by microbial action due to their minimal concentration in water and the low microbiota affinity for complex compounds. This work developed a process allowing the adsorption of contaminants and their simultaneous biodegradation using horizontal tubular fixed-bed biofilm reactors (HTR). Each HTR has two zones: an equalizer-aerator of the incoming liquid flow and a fixed bed zone. This zone was packed with a mixed support material consisting of granular bio-activated carbon (Bio-GAC) and porous material that increases the bed permeability, thus decreasing the pressure drop. Five microbial communities were acclimated and immobilized in granular activated carbon (GAC) to obtain different specialized Bio-GAC particles able to remove the micropollutants ibuprofen, naproxen, atrazine, carbaryl, and diazinon. The Bio-GAC particles were transferred to HTRs continuously run in microaerophilia at several MPs loading rates. Under these conditions, the removal efficiencies of MPs, except atrazine and carbaryl, were around 100.

A housing development of 87 new homes on approximately 300 acres of former farm land was found to have 19 homes with basement radon-222 ( 222 Rn) concentrations greater than 37,000 Bq m -3 , with the highest recorded result to date being 648,000 +/- 1,031 Bq m -3 , based upon the diffusion barrier charcoal canister result. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Action Level for 222 Rn is 148 Bq m -3 . This single-family housing development is in the southeast corner of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, about 58 km northwest of Philadelphia, in a geologic unit known as the Epler Formation. Radon testing in homes in this development began in the fall of 2014 and is now complete. Initial testing consisted of charcoal canisters mailed to homeowners. Subsequent testing in newly built homes consisted of testing prior to occupancy. This testing was quite extensive, with continuous radon monitors, passive radon monitors, and grab sampling for radon gas and progeny in the basement and on the first floor of each home as well as gamma surveys in the basement, on the first and second floors, and outside of each home. All but one of the new houses in this development had passive radon resistant features installed during the construction phase. In all cases, fans were added to the passive systems to make them active systems, which were needed to control these extremely high radon levels. Additional radon mitigation work such as adding additional suction points was also needed in several homes to reduce levels to below EPA guidelines. The unique geology and high 226 Ra soil concentrations in this specific area are the causes of these extremely high radon levels. Radon measurement data both inside these homes and in the outdoor ambient air, as well as 238 U and 222 Ra rock and soil concentrations, are presented.

Amino acids are important building blocks of proteins in the human body, which are involved in many metabolic pathways. Patients with metabolic diseases such as phenylketonuria, tyrosinemia, and hepatic encephalopathy are genetically defective and cannot metabolize aromatic amino acids (AAA) in food; hence, a regular diet may lead to permanent physiological damage. For this reason, it is necessary to restrict the intake of AAA in their daily diet by limiting natural protein intake, while ensuring normal intake of low protein foods and supplementation with low-AAA protein equivalents. Sources of low-AAA protein equivalents currently rely on free amino acid complex mixtures and low-AAA peptides (also known as high-Fischer-ratio peptides), which have better absorption availability and palatability. AAA separation and analysis techniques are essential for the preparation and detection of low-AAA peptides. Researchers in this field have explored a variety of efficient adsorption materials to selectively remove AAA from complex protein hydrolysates and thus prepare low-AAA peptide foods, or to establish analysis strategies for AAA. Covering more than 70 publications on AAA removal and separation in the last decade from Web of Science Core Collection and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, this review analyzes the structural characteristics and physicochemical properties of AAA, and summarizes the technological progress of AAA removal based on adsorbents such as activated carbon and resin. The applications of two-dimensional nanomaterials, molecular imprinting, cyclodextrins, and metal-organic frameworks in AAA adsorption and analysis from three dimensions, i. e., sample pretreatment, chiral separation and adsorption sensing, are also reviewed. The mainstream adsorbents for AAA removal, such as activated carbon, still suffer from poor specificity and cause environmental pollution during post-use treatment. Existing AAA separating materials show impressive selective adsorption capability in food samples and chiral mixtures as well as high sensitivity in adsorption sensing. The development of an efficient detection technology for AAA may help in detecting trace AAA in food and in evaluating chiral AAA adulteration in food samples. By exploring the advantages and disadvantages of each type of technology, we provide support for the advancement of the removal and analysis techniques for AAA.

The terrible rise of antibiotic residues which possesses a serious threat to the ecological and aquatic environments. So, the development of highly cost-effective, highly operation-convenient and recyclable adsorbents was a must. In our study, we utilized the ternary layered double hydroxide (CoZnAl LDH) as an efficient adsorbent and nano-carrier for Clarithromycin (CLA) residues for their biodegradability and biocompatibility. Also, we enhanced the removal efficiency of the synthesized ternary LDH using cellulose-based activated carbon which was obtained using the hydrothermal carbonization method followed by chemical activation via static air converting the cellulose derivative (hydroxy ethyl cellulose HEC) into highly porous activated carbon that played an important role in the adsorption process. Full characterization of the synthesized activated carbon (AC) and the adsorbents before and after the adsorption processes were carried out using different techniques. The differences between the two adsorbents were investigated in a comparative study in terms of factors affecting the adsorption process like pH, the dose of adsorbent, time, and temperature. The adsorption isotherm was investigated at pH 10 with high regression coefficient (R

The present study assessed the performance and fouling of adding granular activated carbon (GAC) and sponge (BioCube), as two different media, to a membrane sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) system in wastewater treatment containing Acid Red 18 (AR 18). Anaerobic phase, aerobic phase, and hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 24 h, 12 h, and 72 h were considered for 500 mg/L AR 18 removal at a sludge retention time (SRT) of 20 days by separately adding up to 35% BioCube volume and 8 g/L GAC to the reactors. Based on the kinetic study, 63 mg/L (87% removal) and 115 mg/L (77% removal) remaining dye were reported in the GAC and BioCube membrane sequencing batch reactors (GAC-MSBR and BioCube-MSBR), respectively. A gradual oxidation-reduction potential decline toward -416 mV confirmed better dye removal in GAC-MSBR than BioCube-MSBR, observing a sudden drop to -354 mV. The morphology can explain better biological treatment in GAC-MSBR in addition to the adsorption process. Soluble microbial products (SMPs) of 126.92 mg/L and 395.18 mg/L were obtained for GAC-MSBR and BioCube-MSBR, respectively. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and SMP indicated that the GAC-MSBR water quality is better than that of the other reactor.

Improperdisposal of sludge will release heavy metals contained in sludge into soils or waters which could further move through the food chain, posing a risk to human health. Understanding the transformation and stabilization of heavy metals (HMs) during pyrolysis is of great value for safe disposal of sludge. Herein, municipal sewage sludge (MSS, organic-dominated) and pharmacy sludge (PS, inorganic-dominated) were pyrolyzed to investigate the effects of organic and inorganic components and temperature on the stabilization of HMs in sludges. The results showed that pyrolysis can promote the transition of HMs from mobile fractions to stable fractions. Compared to MSS and PS, the potential ecological risk index of biochar derived from MSS and PS decreased by 95.51% and 85.05%, respectively, after pyrolysis at 800 °C. The stabilization of HMs in MSS was mainly due to the complexation reactions between metals and amide functional groups (-CO-NH-) during pyrolysis. Moreover, the mechanism of HMs stabilization in PS lied in the formation of a stable crystal-structure such as copper iron oxide (Cu

Heavy metals are among the most dangerous contaminants in the environment. Organic components and plant species that can accumulate and stabilize heavy metals in their organs are a good option for soil remediation of these elements. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of manure and biochar on the accumulation of heavy metals by Salicornia species. Salicornia persica Akhani and Salicornia perspolitana Akhani were cultivated outdoor in experimental pots. The effects of experimental treatments, including Cr (VI) concentrations, manure, and biochar on the two studied species, were investigated. The results indicated a significant effect (p 0.05) of biochar on the accumulation of heavy metals by two species, S. persica and S. perspolitana, so that Cr concentrations in the roots and shoots were 258 and 5.41 mg/kg, respectively. In addition, Cr accumulations under manure treatments in the roots and shoots were 334.34 and 9.79 mg/kg, respectively. The content of photosynthetic pigments in both S. persica and S. perspolitana species under biochar treatment was higher than in control and manure treatments. In general, one can conclude that the accumulation of Cr in S. perspolitana was higher than in S. persica. Applying biochar and manure amendments could stabilize Cr in soil and reduce Cr accumulation in both S. persica and S. perspolitana species.

Phosphorus is one of the main pollutants that cause water pollution, and phosphorus is a one-way cycle in the environment, and phosphorus resources will face exhaustion in the next 100 years. Therefore, the recovery and reuse of phosphorus resources have become very important. This article presents a study concerning the removal of phosphate from an aqueous solution by using a calcium-rich biochar prepared by pyrolysis of crab shells. The experimental results show that the optimal pyrolysis temperature of crab shells is 500 ℃, named CSB500, which is more conducive to the adsorption of phosphate. The process of phosphate adsorption conforms to the quasi-second-order kinetics and Freundlich model. On the other hand, the Langmuir isotherm model shows that when the reaction conditions are 25 ℃, 30 ℃, and 35 ℃, the maximum adsorption capacity of CSB500 for phosphate is 164.32 mg/g, 170.47 mg/g, and 209.35 mg/g, respectively. The characterization results show that the overall structure of CSB500 is good, the specific surface area is large, and the main component is calcium carbonate. The potential mechanisms of action in the process of phosphate adsorption may be electrostatic attraction, surface chemical precipitation, ligand exchange, and complexation.

This study was carried out during two consecutive seasons, 2020 and 2021 on twelve years old mango (Mangifera indica L.). cv. Ewaise grown in region- Idku, El- Behaira Governorate, Egypt. The trees were planted at 5 x 4 m apart and grafted on 'Sokary' root stock to study the influence of zeolite and biochar on growth, yield, and fruit quality of “Ewaise” mango cultivar irrigated by agricultural drainage water. The trees were treated by the following treatments: Zeolite or Biochar sloley at 1, 2 and 3 kg for tree, and their different combinations such as 1 kg Zeolite + 1 kg Biochar; 1 kg Zeolite + 2 kg Biochar; 1 kg Zeolite + 3 kg Biochar; 2 kg Zeolite + 1 kg Biochar; 2kg Zeolite + 2 kg Biochar; 2 kg Zeolite + 3 kg Biochar; 3kg Zeolite + 1 kg Biochar; 3 kg Zeolite + 2 kg Biochar; 3 kg Zeolite + 3 kg Biochar as well as control zero soil application. The obtained results showed that the soil application of zeolite or biochar gave appositive effect on improving the soil characteristics which was reflects on the tree trunck thickness, shoot length and thickness, number of inflorescences, yield in kg per tree and fruit quality. The greatest positive effect on the previous mentioned parameters was obtained by the combined application of the soil application of 2kg Zeolite + 3kg Biochar; 2kg Zeolite + 2 kg Biochar; 3 kg Zeolite + 2 kg Biochar; 3 kg Zeolite + 3 kg Biochar over the rest applied treatments or control in the two seasons.

As a kind of wastewater produced by papermaking industry, bamboo pulp black liquor (BPBL) discharged into water causes serious environmental problems. In this work, BPBL was successfully converted into porous carbon after activation with potassium hydroxide (KOH) through one-step carbonization, and adsorption properties of porous carbon derived from bamboo pulp black liquor (BLPC) for tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) and malachite green (MG) were studied. The adsorption capacities of BLPC for TCH and MG are 1047 and 1277 mg/g, respectively, due to its large specific surface area of 1859.08 m2/g. Kinetics and isotherm data are well fitted to the pseudo-second-order rate model and Langmuir model, respectively. Adsorption experiments and characterizations reveal that the adsorption mechanism involved in TCH and MG adsorption on BLPC mainly depends on the synergistic effect of pore filling, H-bonding, π-π interactions and weak electrostatic interactions. In addition, BLPC shows excellent photothermal properties, and the adsorption capacity of TCH and MG on BLPC can reach 584 and 847 mg/g under the irradiation of near infrared lamp for 50 min, respectively. The synthesized BLPC with high adsorption efficiency, good recovery ability, improved adsorption under near-infrared irradiation can be a promising and effective adsorbent for TCH or MG or other pollutes.

With the growing interest in chemical and biological warfare agents (CWAs/BWAs), the focus has shifted toward aerosol protection using protective clothing. However, compared to air-permeable membranes, those with water vapor permeability have been investigated more extensively. Filtering membranes without air permeability have limited practical usage in personal protective suits and masks. In this study, polyacrylonitrile membranes with tightly attached activated carbon and doped copper(II) oxide were prepared via electrospinning. The nanofibers with uniformly controlled diameters and smooth morphologies enable water/air breathability and protection against aerosol (100 nm polystyrene nanobeads similar to SARS-CoV-2) penetration. The uniformly distributed and tightly attached activated carbon and doped copper(II) oxide particles enhance the sorptive performance of the membranes by blocking gaseous CWAs, including soman, nerve chemical agents, and BWAs. Such dual-purpose membranes can be implemented in protective equipment owing to their high performance and easy processing.

Charcoal blockade is a useful approach to block gastrointestinal (GI) absorption of orally inhaled drug products (OIDPs) and therefore can be used effectively to determine drug absorption exclusively via the pulmonary route. Charcoal blockade efficiency (CBE) should be measured to show whether adequate blockade of GI exposure is achieved in bioequivalence (BE) study. The purpose of this study is to employ a model method to calculate the CBE for a pilot pharmacokinetic (PK) BE study of inhaled ipratropium bromide. This model method, based on a convolution integral, is built in-house using MATLAB package. The results demonstrated a full blockade of GI absorption of ipratropium bromide for both test and reference drug products. This study has shown that the model method may provide a useful approach for validation of charcoal blockade method used in PK BE study for OIDPs. The ability to use modeling may simplify human PK studies in general, and is particularly valuable when for ethical, technical or regulatory reasons administration of an orally swallowed form of the drug is not possible.

Soil salinity has become a major threat to land degradation worldwide. The application of organic amendments is a promising alternative to restore salt-degraded soils and alleviate the deleterious effects of soil salt ions on crop growth and productivity. The aim of present study was to explore the potential impact of biochar and vermicompost, applied individually or in combination, on soil enzyme activity and the growth, yield and quality of Hybrid Pennisetum plants suffered moderate salt stress (5.0 g kg

Producing energy and higher value bio-products from waste materials has been proposed as an economically viable opportunity in the renewable energy sector. However, several challenges associated with the integrated biomass conversion processes remain to be resolved. The present study introduces a multi-faceted plant production of thermal energy and biochar from construction and demolition (CD) wood chips. The overarching objective of the study is to reduce waste materials while simultaneously producing a self-independent clean thermal energy resource along with value-added co-products such as biochar, biogases and/or activated carbon. The combined thermal energy and slow pyrolysis unit relies on 95% of its energy from waste wood chips to produce thermal energy and high value carbon products. The system not only supplies the energy required for the indirect pyrolysis unit but also provides a major portion of thermal energy demanded for the site. A multi-purpose objective of wood waste management, energy production from waste material, high-quality biochar from waste wood (over 80% carbon), and carbon offsets is demonstrated through the utilization of this plant by addressing some of the major previously problems and challenges faced. The information is useful for techno-economic and life cycle analysis in the next study.

Several studies have addressed the potential biorefinery, through small-scale pyrolysis, of coffee silverskin (CSS), grape pomace (GP) and olive mill waste (OMW), which are respectively the main solid residues from coffee roasting, wine making and olive oil production processes. However, increasing the scale of reactor to bring these studies to an industrial level may affect the properties, and hence applications, of the resulting products. The aim of this study is therefore to perform pilot scale experiments to compare and verify the results of analytical study (TGA) and bench scale reactor runs, in order to understand the fundamental differences and create correlations between pyrolysis runs at different scales. To this end, pyrolysis liquids and biochars from the slow pyrolysis of CSS, GP and OMW, performed using different scale auger reactors (15 kg/h and 0.3 kg/h), have been analysed (TGA, pH, density, proximate and ultimate analyses, HHV, FTIR, GCMS) and compared. The results showed no major differences in biochars when the temperature and the solid residence time were fixed. However, regarding pyrolysis liquids, compounds from the lab reactor were more degraded than pilot plant ones, due to, in this case, the vapour residence time was longer. Regarding the properties of the pyrolysis products, GP 400 °C biochars showed the best properties for combustion; CSS biochars were especially rich in nitrogen, and 400 °C GP and OMW pyrolysis liquids showed the highest number of phenolics. Hence, this study is considered a first step towards industrial scale CSS, GP and OMW pyrolysis-based biorefinery.

This study investigated the effects of different concentrations (0.0005, 0.005, 0.05, 0.25, and 0.5%) of onion extract (OE) and onion peel extract (OPE) on the formation of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in charcoal-grilled pork patties. Both OE and OPE inhibited the formation of four PAHs in charcoal-grilled pork patties, with the highest inhibition rate reaching 88.33% on 0.50% OE addition and 98.79% on 0.05 and 0.25% OPE addition. OPE has greater inhibitory effect on the formation of four PAHs than OE does; this may be related to OPE's higher concentrations of flavonoids and higher free-radical scavenging activities. Both OE and OPE worked to lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substance values of charcoal-grilled pork patties. The inhibitory effect of OE and OPE on four PAHs showed the same trend as their antilipid oxidation effects, but the correlation was not strong. In addition to antilipid oxidation, other pathways are also involved in the inhibition of PAH formation.

Biochar is widely used for immobilizing heavy metals in soil as a kind of high-effective passivator. This research conducted incubation and simulated rainfall experiments to study the effects of biochar application on the loss characteristics of runoff and sediment, as well as the transportation of the Cd during the water erosion process. Two rainfall intensities (60 and 120 mm h

The study analyzes urban households' demand for charcoal within the context of overall household cooking fuel consumption, with specific objectives of estimating the respective proportion of expenditure of the main cooking fuel types in total fuel expenditure and describing the household and fuel characteristics which determine the demand for charcoal in urban areas. The study employed the use of cross-sectional data from an urban households survey conducted on a sample of two hundred households from ten communities in the area. The data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Almost Ideal Demand System Model Estimated by Ordinary Least Square Regression. It was observed that educational level, household size, electrification status, and assets significantly determined the charcoal demand in the study area

Abstract Biofiltration is a water purification technology playing a pivotal role in producing safe drinking water. This technology attracts many interests worldwide due to its advantages, such as no addition of chemicals, a low energy input, and a high removal efficiency of organic compounds, undesirable taste and odours, and pathogens. The current review describes the microbial ecology of three biofiltration processes that are routinely used in drinking water treatment plants, i.e. (i) rapid sand filtration (RSF), (ii) granular activated carbon filtration (GACF), and (iii) slow sand filtration (SSF). We summarised and compared the characteristics, removal performance, and corresponding (newly revealed) mechanisms of the three biofiltration processes. Specifically, the microbial ecology of the different biofilter processes and the role of microbial communities in removing nutrients, organic compounds, and pathogens were reviewed. Finally, we highlight the limitations and challenges in the study of biofiltration in drinking water production, and propose future perspectives for obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the microbial ecology of biofiltration, which is needed to promote and optimise its further application. Key points • Biofilters are composed of complex microbiomes, primarily shaped by water quality. • Conventional biofilters contribute to address safety challenges in drinking water. • Studies may underestimate the active/functional role of microbiomes in biofilters.