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In this work, rice-husk-derived biochar (RBC) was synthesized by using simple one-step pyrolysis strategies and served as catalysts to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for degrading sulfamethoxazole (SMX). When the annealing temperature (T) = 800 °C, RBC800 exhibits the typical hardwood structure with several micropores and mesoporous. Furthermore, RBC800 obtains more defect sites than RBC600, RBC700, and RBC900. In the RBC800/PMS system, the removal rate of the SMX reached 92.0% under optimal conditions. The kinetic reaction rate constant (kobs) of the RBC800/PMS system was 0.009 min−1, which was about 1.50, 1.28, and 4.50 times that of the RBC600/PMS (kobs = 0.006 min−1), RBC700/PMS (kobs = 0.007 min−1), and RBC900/PMS (kobs = 0.002 min−1) systems, respectively. In the RBC800/PMS system, sulfate radical (SO4•−) is the main active species. Compared with other active sites, the hydroxyl group (C-OH) on the surface of RBC800 interacts more strongly with PMS, which is more likely to promote the stretching of the O-O bond of the PMS, thus breaking into the activated state and significantly reducing the activation energy required for reaction. The degradation intermediates of SMX were speculated, and the toxicity analysis was conducted. Generally, this work reveals in depth the interaction between reactive sites of biochar-based catalysts and PMS at the molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw, a predominant agricultural residue, represents a significant waste product. Harnessing its potential is of paramount importance both in terms of research and economic value. In this study, chemically pretreated corn straw was infused with distinct microbial fungal mycelium variants and subsequently transformed into a series of biochars through a process involving carbonization and activation. The findings revealed enhancements in the specific surface area and total pore volume of mycelium-doped straw biochars compared to the original corn straw biochar (BCS). Additionally, discernible disparities were observed in their physical and chemical attributes, encompassing functional groups, surface chemistry, and micro-morphology. Notably, in water-based antibiotic removal experiments focusing on tetracycline hydrochloride (TH) and chloramphenicol (CP), the mycelium-doped straw biochars outperformed BCS. Their maximum adsorption capacities for TH and CP surpassed those of alternative adsorbents, including other biochars. Impressively, even after five cycles, the biochar exhibited a removal rate exceeding 80%, attesting to its robust stability. This study successfully emphasized the efficacy of incorporating fungal mycelium to enhance the adsorption properties of straw-based biochar, introducing a new theoretical basis for the development of lignocellulosic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-based adsorbents like graphene and its derivatives, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon, and biochar are commonly used for removing heavy metals from water solutions. The changeable exterior functional groups of efficient carbon adsorbents for HMs are one of their key features. Detailed documentation of the synthesis and interactions of functionalized carbon adsorbents with metals in an aqueous solution is crucial for advancing the utilization of these materials in HM exclusion. This paper reviews the carbon-based adsorbent for material removal. It examines several carbon adsorbents' exterior functional groups to better understand how they eliminate HMs from aqueous solutions. First, the controlling mechanisms for the deletion of aqueous HMs by carbon adsorbents are described, with a particular emphasis on the functions of exterior functional groups. The following section lists and organises the numerous synthetic techniques that are frequently employed to add heteroatoms to carbon surfaces, particularly oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur, to increase their exterior properties and their sorptive capabilities towards HMs in aqueous solutions. Following that, the impact of dissimilar functional groups on the adsorption characteristics of HMs on carbon adsorbents is examined. While the adsorption capacity and metal removal efficiency of the changed carbonaceous materials are high, the alteration operation is complicated, particularly chemical modification. This review analyses the shortcomings that are now present and offers ideas for future research while emphasising the removal of inorganic and organic components utilising carbon-based materials as adsorbents. In summary, there is room for additional study on the efficacy of functional carbon adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals and their potential uses in various fields. This includes the development of new materials and techniques to enhance adsorption efficiency and selectivity for specific heavy metals, along with the investigation of additional functionalities for these carbon adsorbents in various industrial processes. There is a need for continued innovation and collaboration in this field to address the growing concerns regarding heavy metal pollution and to explore the full capabilities of functional carbon adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, biocomposite materials were created by incorporating biochar (BC) at rates of 1, 2.5, and 5 wt.% into a poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu) matrix using a two-stage melt polycondensation procedure in order to provide understanding of the aging process. The biocomposites in film form were exposed to UV irradiation for 7, 14, and 21 days. Photostability was examined by several methods, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which proved that new carbonyl and hydroxyl groups were formed during UV exposure. Moreover, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) measurements were employed to record the apparent UV effect in their crystalline morphology and thermal transitions. According to the molecular weight measurements of composites, it was apparent that by increasing the biochar content, the molecular weight decreased at a slower rate. Tensile strength tests were performed to evaluate the deterioration of their mechanical properties during UV exposure, while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images illustrated the notable surface alternations. Cracks were formed at higher UV exposure times, to a lesser extent in PBSu/BC composites than in neat PBSu. Furthermore, the mechanism of the thermal degradation of neat PBSu and its biocomposites prior to and upon UV exposure was studied by Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py–GC/MS). From all the obtained results it was proved that biochar can be considered as an efficient UV-protective additive to PBSu, capable of mitigating photodegradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spent mushroom compost (SMC) is a waste byproduct generated by the mushroom industry, with the current disposal methods involving landfills or incineration, causing environmental problems. This study introduces a cascading valorization based on circular economy. A water-washing pretreatment is suggested to reduce the ash content and improve the calorific value. Furthermore, an oxidative torrefaction is proposed to enhance the physicochemical properties and evaluate the residence time, temperature, and initial weight effects. The investigation revealed that the calorific value increased by 49.46% in the best water washing scenario and the SMC contains laccase. During SMC torrefaction, mass and energy yields exceeded 80%, and the calorific value was improved. Finally, torrefaction in situ CO2 capture was achieved by forming CaCO3, with a mass fraction increase of up to 7.4%. The study describes the cascading innovation use of this residue on a TRL4 higher than previously reported studies, thereby contributing to gaining an understanding of sustainable industrial mushroom production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs machine learning models to predict the adsorption characteristics of biochar-activated carbon derived from waste wood. Activated carbon is a high-performance adsorbent utilized in various fields such as air purification, water treatment, energy production, and storage. However, its characteristics vary depending on the activation conditions or raw materials, making explaining or predicting them challenging using physicochemical or mathematical methods. Therefore, using machine learning techniques to determine the adsorption characteristics of activated carbon in advance will provide economic and time benefits for activated carbon production. Datasets, consisting of 108 points, were used to predict the adsorption characteristics of biochar-activated carbon derived from waste wood. The input variables were the activation conditions, and the iodine number of activated carbon was used as the output variable. The datasets were randomly split into 75% for training and 25% for model validation and normalized by the min-max function. Four models, including artificial neural networks, random forests, extreme gradient boosting, and support vector machines, were used to predict the adsorption properties of biochar-activated carbon. After optimization, the artificial neural network model was identified as the best model, with the highest coefficient determination (0.96) and the lowest mean squared error (0.004017). As a result of the SHAP analysis, activation time was the most crucial variable influencing the adsorption properties. The machine learning model precisely predicts the adsorption characteristics of biochar-activated carbon and can optimize the activated carbon production process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing water scarcity jeopardizes crop production for global food security, a problem poised to worsen under climate change–induced drought. Amending soils with locally derived biochar from pyrolyzed agricultural residues may enhance soil moisture retention and resilience, in addition to climate change mitigation. However, prior studies on the hydrologic benefits of biochar focused on optimal moisture, not water‐limited conditions where biochar's large wettable surface area could aid plants and microbes. We hypothesized that biochars differing in feedstocks would positively augment soil moisture and respiration, with overall impacts most beneficial under drier conditions. Using water vapor sorption isotherms, we used film theory to estimate the specific surface area (SSA) of biochars. We then modeled and tested the moisture retention of a coarse‐textured soil amended with biochar. Additionally, a 109‐day lab incubation experiment was also conducted to examine biochar effects on respiration across a moisture range spanning optimal to wilting point. Among seven tested biochars, almond shell biochar significantly increased soil moisture and yield the second highest SSA. Despite drying treatments, the amended soil maintained higher respiration than the control, indicating enhanced biological activity. The results demonstrate biochars counter drying effects in coarse soils through physical and biological mechanisms linked to increased sorptive capacity. Our findings contribute to the development of sustainable water and waste management strategies tailored to the needs of California Central Valley, where the potential for biochar application is substantial. Above all, our research fills a crucial gap by providing context‐specific insights that can inform the effective utilization of locally produced biochars in the face of increasing water scarcity and excess biomass challenges. Core Ideas: Seven biochar derived from local orchard wasted materials were assessed in this study.Almond shell biochar enhanced moisture retention potential of loamy‐sand soil.Biochar amended soil maintained higher respiration despite drying condition.Biochars can counter drying effects in coarse soils through physical and biological mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar is the solid carbonaceous product of biomass pyrolysis. The properties of biochar depend on the biomass feedstock as well as the pyrolysis temperature and time. Therefore, biochars with different properties and functionalities can be produced. Biochar research has been intensive in the past 15 years, focusing mainly on soil applications, wastewater treatment, and contaminant remediation. However, a formal definition of biochar and related terms is missing, which hinders the standardization of scientific results worldwide and the scaling-up of research at the industrial level. Furthermore, an official terminology may promote the development of a harmonized legal framework for biochar production and applications, both at regional and national levels. This glossary of terms consists of 178 scientifically sound definitions of the most commonly used terms in biochar research. The definitions of this glossary are interconnected, allowing the reader to further explore the synergies between terms. The distribution of terms reflects the multidisciplinarity of biochar research: chemistry, material science and engineering, and soil science are the main disciplines represented here. The list of terms is by no means exhaustive and the strategic objective of this effort is to develop a dynamic document in which more terms will be added in the future, and the existing ones will be refined, as biochar research evolves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar, a carbon‐rich material derived from organic biomass under low‐O2 conditions, has gained importance due to its role in mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon. It can be used as an alternative energy source and has applications in nutrient cycling, improving soil properties, and removing heavy metals and organic pollutants, thus contributing to sustainable agriculture and environmental remediation. In the face of alarming climate change, rising energy demand, and increasing pollution, the integration of biochar production into biorefineries is an important strategy to promote a sustainable and circular economy. Adopting a holistic approach to biomass utilization by developing strategies to maximize biochar production along with the production of other value‐added products while improving its quality can increase biorefineries' overall sustainability and efficiency. Fine‐tuning the biorefinery process from feedstock selection to co‐production, optimizing pyrolysis conditions, and integrating it with other technologies can help to achieve this goal while generating zero waste and diversified revenues. With the biochar market growing exponentially, further research into the long‐term impact of biochar on carbon sequestration and its application in the environment is the next step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic digestion and composting of biowastes are vital pathways to recycle carbon and nutrients for agriculture. However, plastic contamination of soil amendments and fertilizers made from biowastes is a relevant source of (micro‐) plastics in (agricultural) ecosystems. To avoid this contamination, plastic containing biowastes could be pyrolyzed to eliminate the plastic, recycle most of the nutrients, and create carbon sinks when the resulting biochar is applied to soil. Literature suggests plastic elimination mainly by devolatilization at co‐pyrolysis temperatures of > 520°C. However, it is uncertain if the presence of plastic during biomass pyrolysis induces the formation of organic contaminants or has any other adverse effects on biochar properties. Here, we produced biochar from wood residues (WR) obtained from sieving of biowaste derived digestate. The plastic content was artificially enriched to 10%, and this mixture was pyrolyzed at 450°C and 600°C. Beech wood (BW) chips and the purified, that is, (macro‐) plastic‐free WR served as controls. All biochars produced were below limit values of the European Biochar Certificate (EBC) regarding trace element content and organic contaminants. Under study conditions, pyrolysis of biowaste, even when contaminated with plastic, can produce a biochar suitable for agricultural use. However, thermogravimetric and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis of the WR + 10% plastics biochar suggested the presence of plastic residues at pyrolysis temperatures of 450°C. More research is needed to define minimum requirements for the pyrolysis of plastic containing biowaste and to cope with the automated identification and determination of plastic types in biowaste at large scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar is the product of intentional pyrolysis of organic feedstocks. It is made under controlled conditions in order to achieve desired physico‐chemical characteristics. These characteristics ultimately affect biochar properties as a soil amendment. When biochar is used for carbon storage, an important property is its persistence in soil, often described by the proportion of biochar carbon remaining in soil after a 100 years (Fperm$$ {\mathrm{F}}_{\mathrm{perm}} $$). We analyzed published data on 1230 biochars to re‐evaluate the effect of pyrolysis parameters on biochar characteristics and the possibility to predict Fperm$$ {\mathrm{F}}_{\mathrm{perm}} $$ from the maximum temperature reached during pyrolysis (HTT). We showed that biochar ash and nitrogen (N) contents were mostly affected by feedstock type. The oxygen to carbon (O:C) and hydrogen to carbon (H:C) ratios were mostly affected by the extent of pyrolysis (a combination of HTT and pyrolysis duration), except for non (ligno)cellulosic feedstocks (plastic waste, sewage sludge). The volatile matter (VM) content was affected by both feedstock type and the extent of pyrolysis. We demonstrated that HTT is the main driver of H:C ‐‐ an indicator of persistence ‐‐ but that it is not measured accurately enough to precisely predict H:C, let alone persistence. We examined the equations to estimate Fperm$$ {\mathrm{F}}_{\mathrm{perm}} $$ available in the literature and showed that Fperm$$ {\mathrm{F}}_{\mathrm{perm}} $$ calculated from HTT presented little agreement with Fperm$$ {\mathrm{F}}_{\mathrm{perm}} $$ calculated from H:C. The sign and magnitude of the bias depended on the equation used to calculate Fperm$$ {\mathrm{F}}_{\mathrm{perm}} $$ and the dispersion was usually large. This could lead to improper compensation of carbon emissions and wrong reporting of carbon sinks in national carbon accounting schemes. We recommend not to use HTT as a predictor for persistence and stress the importance to rapidly develop more accurate proxies of biochar C persistence in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar is a product of carbon rich mass produced through the pyrolysis of organic wastes. Several reviews have been published demonstrating the effects of biochar on soil health, plant productivity and on the amelioration of adverse effects of climate. Depending upon the type of biomass and pyrolysis conditions maintained, biochar acquire specific characteristics like cation exchange capacity, pore size, surface area, mineral contents, energy density and adsorption capacity and help in serving a prime role in agriculture, climate change and waste management. Biochar significance also stems from its ability to sequester significant amount of carbon and reducing the efflux of greenhouse gas emission in the environment. Biochar is an important ecological niche for microbes, as biochar porous structure and high surface area, if maintained, helps in proliferation of microbes (plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and mycorrhization). Biochar amendment has multiple effects on biological and biochemical properties, e.g. retention of nutrients (N, P, K), organic matter (C), water holding capacity and soil respiration, ultimately improving crop yield. In addition, it facilitates in providing tolerance against different abiotic and biotic stresses. Surface modification of biochar with nanomaterial is a promising strategy affecting its sorption capacity for contaminant removal. This review focuses on evaluating the role of biochar alone and in combination with PGPR on soil health, plant productivity under stress, enhancement of systemic resistance in plants and waste management. Further, this review demonstrates the modulation of functional characteristics of biochar as affected by nanomaterial in concert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silkworm excrement (SE) and silkworm excrement-derived biochar (BC) were applied to atrazine-contaminated soil at the rates of 0% and 0.5% (w/w), respectively. The effect of organic amendments on sorption capacity, microbial biomass carbon, enzyme activity (dehydrogenase, urease and catalase) and bacterial composition in soil were evaluated. Atrazine significantly decreased the microbial activity and diversity in soil. Both SE and BC treatments increased the sorption of atrazine in soil. SE treatment significantly increased the microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activity in contaminated soil. Unlike the addition of silkworm excrement, BC treatment had no significant effect on dehydrogenase activity. Additionally, Illumina-MiSeq sequencing analyses showed that the two organic amendments increased the Shannon index of bacteria. SE treatment improved the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes. BC treatment improved the Proteobacteria in atrazine contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the use of surface-modified biochar as a porous electrode material for the capacitive deionization removal of chloride and fluoride ions. Incorporation of titanium dioxide and amine groups on biochar aims to increase surface-active sites, facilitate salt ion diffusion, and improve charge efficiency and cation/anion selectivity in asymmetric capacitive deionization. Titania, amine, and activated biochar are denoted as TB, AmB, and AcB, respectively. Physical and electrochemical characterizations were performed to investigate the surface properties of fabricated materials. At the optimum TiO2 loading of 5% (TB-05), the specific capacitance of TB-05 electrode was improved by 35% at scan rate of 1 mV s–1 in comparison to the AcB electrode, despite a decrease in the specific surface area. Three different asymmetric capacitive deionization cell designs—AmB||TB-05, AcB||TB-05, and AmB||AcB—and two symmetrical cell designs—AcB||AcB and TB-05||TB-05 (anode||cathode)—were tested. A symmetric cell design TB-05||TB-05 had a NaCl removal capacity of 8.51 mg g−1, a 42% improvement in comparison to a symmetric AcB cell (6.01 mg g−1). Further, an asymmetric cell AmB||TB-05 showed 67% charge efficiency improvement over symmetric AcB cell, likely due to a reduced co-ion effect. For fluoride removal, a symmetric TB-05 cell showed a removal capacity of 3.51 mg g−1. This study promotes simple surface-modification methods to make inexpensive commercial biochar into a sustainable, and efficient electrode material available for a scale-up asymmetric capacitive deionization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flake biochar electrode materials with fast ion transport function were prepared by KOH activation walnut shell used as raw material. The effects of carbonization temperature and KOH-to-biochar ratio were systematically evaluated using physicochemical characterization and electrochemical performance testing. The optimized walnut shell biochar (WSC800–2), produced at 800 °C with a KOH-to-biochar ration of 2:1, exhibited an exceptional specific surface area (2,287 m2 g−1), the highest porosity (0.824 cm3 g−1), and an excellent specific capacitance (369.51 F g−1, 10 mV s−1). Furthermore, in desalination experiments, WSC800–2 achieved a high salt adsorption capacity of 15.70 mg g−1 at 1.2 V, 500 mg l−1 NaCl solution. The electrode also exhibited outstanding cycling stability, retaining 97.0% of its performance after 10 adsorption/desorption cycles. These findings highlight the potential of walnut shell-derived biochar as an effective material for capacitive deionization and future desalination technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the main bamboo species in coastal sandy land protection forests, Bambusa tuldoides 'Swolleninternode' can effectively improve the structure of forest tree species, increase the diversity of tree species and enhance the protection efficiency. However, research on the cultivation and utilization of B. tuldoides is still relatively scarce. Therefore, in this study, B. tuldoides was used as the research object. By applying biochar and nitrogen fertilizer, the effects of different biochar and nitrogen fertilizer ratios on the physiology and soil characteristics of bamboo were analyzed, and the optimal ratio scheme was identified. The results showed that the ratio of the T5 (A2B2C3) treatment had the best effect on the total chlorophyll, non-structural carbohydrate and nutrient contents of B. tuldoides leaves, and the contents under treatments was generally higher than under the control, CK. The activities of soil invertase, nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase were significantly increased under biochar treatment, and the effects of the T5 treatment were the best. The results of principal component analysis showed that the absolute values of the coefficient of leaf potassium, phosphorus content and soil total nitrogen were larger and more important, and the comprehensive evaluation of the T5 treatment was the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the characteristics of plug seedlings affect the effectiveness of automatic transplanting, this study aimed to explore the effect of the addition of biochar into substrates on the growth of plug seedlings before and after transplanting. The physicochemical properties of substrates with 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% biochar addition all met the requirements of seedling cultivation. The growth trend, root systems, and mechanical properties of seedlings before transplanting and the leaf gas exchange parameters of seedlings after transplanting were measured in this study. The results indicated that the seedlings cultivated with 10% biochar added to the substrate achieved the best growth trend and physiological indices, and the root systems under this treatment were also stronger than those of other treatments, while the seedlings cultivated with 25% biochar treatment were the worst, with less than 22.23% of the growth seen in the 10% biochar treatment, and even less than 1.5% of the growth of the seedlings cultivated without biochar treatment. Since the strong root systems could enhance the mechanical properties of seedling pots, the seedling pots cultivated with 10% biochar added into the substrate possessed the best compression resistance properties, with the maximum value of 49.52 N, and could maintain maximum completeness after free-fall impacting, wherein the loss of root and substrate was only 8.22%. The analysis results of seedlings cultivated after impacting proposed that the seedlings with better growth trends and root systems before transplanting could obtain better leaf gas exchange parameters during the flower stage after transplanting, so the seedlings cultivated with 5%~10% biochar added into the substrate grew better after impacting and then transplanting. It was noticed that the seedlings cultivated with appropriate biochar added into the substrate were able to achieve the optimal growth parameters and mechanical properties before and after transplanting, which were better able to meet the requirements of automatic transplanting. Thus, this study can promote the development of automatic transplanting technology to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas and NH3 emissions are exacerbated by the inappropriate timing and excessive application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in wheat cultivation in China. In this study, the impacts on N2O, CO2, and NH3 emissions of a delayed and reduced N application regime on the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain were investigated. The treatments comprised the control (N0), conventional N at 270 kg N ha−1 (N270) and optimized N application of 180 kg N ha−1 (N180), N180 + biochar at 7.5 t ha−1 (N180B7.5), N180 + biochar at 15 t ha−1 (N180B15), N180 + DMPP (a nitrification inhibitor; N180D), N180D + biochar at 7.5 t ha−1 (N180DB7.5), and N180D + biochar at 15 t ha−1 (N180DB15). Reduced N application (N180) lowered N2O and NH3 emissions. Biochar application resulted in a 4–25% and 12–16% increase in N2O and NH3 emissions, respectively. Application of DMPP significantly decreased N2O emissions by 32% while concurrently inducing a 9% increase in NH3 emissions. Co-application of DMPP and biochar significantly reduced the activity of nitrification enzymes (HAD, NOO), resulting in a reduction of 37–38% in N2O emissions and 13–14% in NH3 emissions. No significant differences in CO2 emissions were observed among the various N treatments except the N0 treatment. Application of DMPP alone did not significantly affect grain yield. However, biochar, in combination with DMPP, effectively increases grain yield. The findings suggest that the N180DB15 treatment has the potential to reduce emissions of N2O and NH3 while concurrently enhancing soil fertility (pH, SOC) and wheat yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slow-release fertilizer is generally used in turfgrass management to maintain quality turf without inducing excess vertical growth, to avoid frequent mowing. This study was designed to verify whether kitchen waste digestate and digestate biochar could serve as slow-release fertilizers to promote turf quality and reduce nutrient leaching risk in two turfgrass species over two years in controlled pot experiments. The results showed that the nutrient release of granular fertilizers made from kitchen waste digestate and digestate biochar was a two-phase process (an initial rapid phase, followed by a slow-release phase). The kitchen waste digestate showed higher nitrogen and phosphorus release ratios than the biochar and sheep manure. Compared to the reference sheep manure, fertilization with kitchen waste digestate and biochar increased the leaf chlorophyll content by 48.6% and 27.9%, and reduced senescent leaves by 15.6% and 11.1%, respectively, at 23 d after fertilization, leading to higher turf quality. Fertilization with kitchen waste digestate biochar significantly reduced the nutrient leaching risk compared to fertilization with kitchen waste digestate and sheep manure. Our results demonstrated the potential of reusing kitchen waste digestate and digestate biochar as slow-release fertilizers for promoting turf quality in turfgrass management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis (Lour.) Rupr.) is rich in many vitamins and many minerals and is an important green vegetable in people's daily diet. Soil heavy metal Cd content exceeding safe values has a toxic effect on the growth of vegetables, which seriously affects human health. Biochar can effectively stabilize heavy metals in polluted soil, and phosphogypsum can improve the physical and chemical properties of soil and promote the growth of crops. To explore the remediation effect of biochar combined with different amounts of phosphogypsum on Cd-contaminated soil and the safe production of agricultural products, a pot experiment was conducted with corn straw biochar and harmless phosphogypsum as the test materials, and Chinese cabbage as the test plant. The soil pH; the alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen content; the available phosphorus, potassium, and Cd content in the soil; the fresh weight of the Chinese cabbage; the Cd content in the edible part of the Chinese cabbage; and the vitamin C, chlorophyll, and soluble sugar contents in the leaves were measured and analyzed. The results showed that among all the treatments, the T3 and T4 treatments were the most effective in enhancing the soil pH and soil available nutrient content. Compared with CK, the T3 and T4 treatments significantly enhanced the soil pH by 0.27 and 0.29 units, respectively, and significantly increased alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen content by 16.25% and 14.04%, available phosphorus content by 22.98% and 22.87%; and available potassium content by 8.50% and 10.13%. In addition, among all the treatments, the T3 treatment had the best effect on reducing the soil available Cd content and the Cd content in the edible part of the Chinese cabbage, which were significantly reduced by 17.05% and 49.35%, respectively, compared with CK, and the T3 treatment had the best effect on improving the yield and quality of the Chinese cabbage, significantly increasing the fresh weight of the Chinese cabbage by 31.86%, the soluble sugar level by 9.54%, the vitamin C level by 15.38%, and the chlorophyll level by 13.28%, compared with CK. In summary, 3000 kg/hm2 of biochar combined with 3000 kg/hm2 of phosphogypsum can significantly reduce the effectiveness of soil Cd, prevent the transfer of Cd to Chinese cabbage, reduce the ecological risk of Cd, and improve the yield and quality of Chinese cabbage. The results provide a theoretical basis for the safe production of agricultural products in Cd-contaminated soil and promote the recycling of resources for the benefit of the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar has been promoted mostly as a soil supplement that improves plant growth/yield and to a lesser extent as a growing medium component. The alarmed situation for peat substitution in growing medium renders biochar as a promising substitute for current research. In this study, biochar derived by wood-based materials was evaluated at different ratios (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% v/v) for peat partial substitution for Antirrhinum majus pot production. Biochar had increased potassium content and pH, which affected the growing media properties (total pores space and water filled capacity) and decreased nitrogen and phosphorus content in the media. Adding ≥15% biochar increased plant height and decreased flowering, but no effect was observed on plant biomass produced. The presence of biochar increased the total phenols and flavanols content and antioxidant capacity, with greater effects at the higher biochar rates used. This resulted in lipid peroxidation and an increase in hydrogen peroxide content, causing oxidative stress. Potassium and magnesium accumulated more but nitrogen and phosphorus were accumulated less in snapdragon leaves. Biochar at 10% can be considered as a successful candidate to partially substitute peat, and efforts to improve growing media characteristics are required for A. majus pot production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unscientific disposal of agricultural solid waste introduces more antibiotics and other pollutants into the environment. Composting, as an environmentally friendly solid waste disposal method, can be used as a green way to degrade antibiotics, and conditioners can regulate the physicochemical indicators of the composting process. This article investigates the removal mechanism of tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) during the composting process by adding different regulators (biochar, zeolite, and biochar + zeolite). The results showed that the conditioning agent could significantly improve the removal efficiency and removal rate of TCs in compost. Among them, the addition of the zeolite group had the highest degradation rate of TCs, which were 91.39% (Tetracycline), 97.18% (Chlortetracycline), and 95.68% (Oxytetracycline). The combination of biochar and zeolite conditioning agents effectively minimized the migration of TCs into the soil. According to the findings of the artificial neural network model, it was determined that TCs exhibited the highest sensitivity to biochar + zeolite modulators at 31.28%. Conditioners influenced the removal of TCs in compost by impacting their physicochemical properties and microbial community structure. We isolated and domesticated a suitable microbial preparation that promotes the degradation of TCs, including Acinetobacter pittii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Lactobacillus reuteri, Pseudomonas putida, and Trichosporon dohaense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to assess the effect of incorporating biochar derived from urban pruning waste (abundantly generated, poorly managed, often disposed of in landfills) into a Brazilian Ultisol on its physical, chemical, and geotechnical attributes, for geoenvironmental applications. Materials and methods: Urban pruning waste-derived biochar produced through the pyrolysis at 500°C was added (at 2.5% and 5.0% w/w concentrations) to a composite sample of Ultisols, representative of Ribeira Valley (Brazil) and homogenized. The mixtures were compared regarding pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, specific surface area, chemical composition, Atterberg limits, compaction parameters, permeability, and unconfined compressive strength. Results and discussion: The addition of biochar to soil increased electrical conductivity (from 24.8 µS cm−1 to 95.0 µS cm−1) and sum of exchangeable bases (from 5.8 mmolc dm−3 to 35.0 mmolc dm−3), which is a positive effect for agronomic applications, but it raises a concern regarding potential leaching when applied to soil remediation. The observed increase in pH (4.8 to 5.6) and unconfined compressive strength (208 to 240 kPa) is a positive effect for geoenvironmental applications. Compacted specimens of the soil-biochar mixtures exhibited higher permeability compared to those of unamended soil, which constitutes a potential concern for application in contaminated areas. Conclusions: The biochar addition in the soil appears to be a promising alternative for the use of urban pruning waste, with potential to enhance soil properties for geoenvironmental applications. However, future research should focus on clarifying the leaching risks and long-term effects of biochar aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The iron reduction in paddy soils, which is mainly driven by iron-reducing bacteria (IRB) communities is vital for iron and other nutrient supplies and contamination management. This study aimed to investigate biochar effects on the community structure of IRB in paddy soils and the iron reduction driven by them in terms of iron reduction dynamic and secondary iron mineral composition. Materials and methods: We isolated bacterial iron reduction in paddy soils in a constructed system with the bacteria source from paddy soils and IRB-selective media, with decoupling the effects of complicated geochemical factors from natural environments. Rice straw biochar was added into the iron-reduction system at 1 and 3% rates (referred to as BC1 and BC3). The putative IRB community was analyzed using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, the dynamic of Fe(II) were tested by ferrozine test method, and the products from bacterial iron reduction were analyzed by XRD and a sequential extraction procedure. Results and discussion: Biochar at 1 and 3% (BC1 and BC3) rates notably increased the relative abundance of Bacillota phylum of paddy soils by 52.2 and 55.0% in comparison with control, and decreased Pseudomonadota and Thermodesulfobacteriota significantly. Moreover, BC1 and BC3 markedly increased the relative abundance of a typical hydrogen (H2)-producing genus (Clostridium sensu stricto) by 64.8 and 62.2%, respectively. PCA analysis also showed that putative IRB communities in biochar treatments were significantly different from those in the control. Fe(II) concentrations in BC1 (1.92–10.0 mg/L) and BC3 (3.80–12.4 mg/L) were much higher than those in the control (0.27–0.83 mg/L), implying the enhancement of bacterial iron reduction related to the biochar addition. XRD analysis and sequential extraction showed that siderite was the major secondary iron mineral of bacterial iron reduction due to biochar addition, whereas considerable amounts of ferrihydrite, akaganeite, and magnetite were also observed in the control. Conclusion: It suggests that the increase in Bacillota and Clostridium sensu striction in paddy soils owing to biochar addition is responsible for bacterial iron reduction enhancement. The promotion of iron reduction could facilitate the formation of iron plaque in the rice rhizosphere. Moreover, the high Fe(II) content induced by biochar tends toward Fe(II) oversaturation, resulting in the rapid formation of siderite via precipitation pathways; hence, it is beneficial for heavy metal immobilization in paddy soils through co-precipitation with siderite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With the developments of new materials and technologies for adsorption, it is necessary to develop new kinetic models to describe some more complex adsorption processes. This study aimed to evaluate the availability of a modified intraparticle diffusion model qt = k1t1/2 (0 ≤ t ≤ t1) and qt-qt=t1 = k2 (t-t1)1/2 (t1 < t ≤ t2) for the adsorption of chlorobenzene pollutants (CBs) on biochar and to explore the corresponding mechanisms. Materials and methods: The adsorption kinetics of the four CBs with different numbers of Cl substituents were investigated in mono- or multi-CB adsorption experiments (equal or unequal initial concentration) with the corn straw-based biochar pyrolyzed at 500 °C. The kinetics process was fitted by the classical model (qt = kt1/2 + b) with linearization or nonlinearly regression, and by the modified intraparticle diffusion model qt = kt1/2 (0 ≤ t ≤ t1) and qt-qt=t1 = k2 (t-t1)1/2 (t1 < t ≤ t2). The optimal break point of t1 separating the stages of 0 ≤ t ≤ t1 and t1 < t ≤ t2 was obtained by comparing the parameters of adjR2 and AICc calculated from different t1 values. Combined with the characteristics of biochar morphology and structure, variation of initial concentrations and performances of competitive adsorption of CBs, the adsorption mechanisms were analyzed. Results and discussion: The modified model performed well the nonlinear fitting of the kinetic processes with R2 values between 0.917 and 0.981, higher than that of the nonlinear and linear fitting of the classical model. The adsorption rate of k1 was usually larger than k2 regardless of the number of chlorine substitutions, or in the scenario of mono-/multi-CBs adsorption. In the mono-adsorption, the k1 and k2 values of low-chlorinated CBs were mostly greater than those of the high-chlorinated CBs. In multi-adsorption, competitive adsorption decreased the intraparticle diffusion rates of each CBs. And the rates varied with the initial concentration of CBs, and with the numbers of chlorine substitutions which had an effect on the affinities of CBs to biochar and steric hindrance via hydrophobicity, electrophilicity and molecule sizes. Conclusions: The modified intraparticle diffusion model was suggested to be suitable to describe the diffusion processes of CBs with high aqueous phase concentrations on biochar. The modified model indicated the intraparticle diffusion and pore wall adsorption were two closely linked processes. The initial concentration, the number of chlorine substitutions and the morphology structure of biochar were suggested to be the key factors affecting the adsorption of CBs on the biochar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing the biochar‐derived 2e‐electron oxygen reduction (2e‐ORR) electrocatalyst from sustainable biomass promises a cost‐effective alternative for typical petroleum‐based resources, but still suffers from inferior catalytic activity and low 2e‐ORR selectivity. Here, the study demonstrates a simple and effective strategy for achieving high‐performance sustainable Co‐ZIF‐engineered cellulose electrocatalyst, enabling in situ growth of nanostructured ZIF‐67 particles around the abundant hydrophilic oxygen‐containing micro‐scale cellulose fibers. Through a simple one‐step pyrolysis at 900 °C of the cellulose‐Co‐ZIF substrate, a high‐porosity carbonous the Co‐ZIF‐CC catalyst is obtained that possesses active sites and carbon defects, facilitating 2e‐ORR progress for H2O2 production. By utilizing O2 as reaction gas, it can electrochemically generate H2O2 concentration attaining up to 555.1 mg L−1, outperforming a nearly five‐fold increase compared to that using air, and also showing about maximin thirty times higher compared to exiting biochar‐based 2e‐ORR electrocatalysts from biomass. The proposed cellulose‐Co‐ZIF strategy breakthroughs the next generation of sustainable 2e‐ORR electrocatalysts from renewable bioresources with low‐cost, economic ecology, beyond the wide potential applications for other electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated the properties and potential environmental hazards associated with biochars derived from rice husk (RH) and sugar beet pulp (SBP), both of which are rich in heavy metals (HMs). The results indicated that the concentration of various HM fractions is significantly affected by the type of feedstock and the pyrolysis temperature. Specifically, the total concentrations of HMs in biochars produced at 600 °C were found to be 10–140% higher than those in the original biomasses, a phenomenon attributed to the precipitation of HMs. Cd was a notable exception, exhibiting a reduction of 3–7% in the resultant biochars when compared to biomass, likely attributable to its volatilization. The results also revealed that the F1 + F2 fraction of HMs were largely transformed into F3 + F4 fraction during combustion, indicating that pyrolysis may reduce the ecotoxicity of HMs present in contaminated biomass. However, the process did not effectively diminish the F1 and F2 fractions of Cr and Cd. Elevated pyrolysis temperature significantly enhanced the reduction of HMs phytoavailability. Specifically, the phytoavailability of HMs in biochars produced at 600 °C exhibited a decrease ranging from 10 to 92% when compared to the original biomass. Conversely, an unexpected rise in the phytoavailable fractions of Cr and Cd was noted in both RH and SBP biochars as the pyrolytic temperature increased, which correspondingly raised the potential ecological risk index (PERI). All materials analyzed exhibited a very high risk level, with PERI values exceeding 800, primarily due to the significant toxicity of Cd. Excluding Cd from consideration, the biomasses and their resultant biochars displayed PERI values ranging from 7 to 13. It is important to acknowledge that pyrolysis may not effectively diminish the environmental toxicity associated with HMs present in contaminated biomass, thereby limiting its safe application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this experiment four agro-waste based biomass residues (soybean stover-SSb, buckwheat stover-BWb, Artemisia vulgaris- AVb and Chromolaena odorata-COb) was valorized into low cost amendment called biochar followed by compositional characterization for their application in heavy metal removal. Investigation was carried out on the removal of the most common heavy metal ions including arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel, zinc, and copper through adsorption on four types of biomass valorised biochar. According to preliminary testing, all the biochar was effective to eliminate a mixture of six heavy metals from the aqueous phase, with the removal of arsenic being the most removed and nickel being the least. In comparison to no biochar treatment, the average removal rate of heavy metal from aqueous solution using four distinct types of biochar was 45.75–62.42% (Cd), 43.64–56.33% (Pb), 41.85–59.73% (Ni), 42.87–60.28% (Zn), 45.64–59.51% (Cu), and 49.02–60.53% (As). The percent decrease of cadmium heavy metal adsorption with increase in maximum contaminant level (MCL) from 1- to fivefold was 20.0 (SSb), 20.7 (COb), 21.6 (BWb), and 22.9 (AVb). The results of the dosage study indicated that As adsorption was the most beneficial on all four types of biochar, whereas Ni adsorption was the least effective. With increase in application rate of biochar the heavy metals adsorption (%) was also increased. Four different agro-waste valorized biochar were used to treat the wastewater, and the physical and chemical changes that occurred both before and after the biochar treatment were noted. There was a drop in the wastewater CODT, CODD, TSS, ammonia, TKN, TP and pH values of 79.7–103.5%, 57.7–81.5, 52.3–68.4%, 1.23–2.23%, 14.1–20.6%, and 1.23–3.03%, respectively. Furthermore, after being passed through a biochar, the wastewater's Zn, Pb, Cd, As, Cr and Cu levels decreased by 3.26–6.15%, 0.06–0.34%, 0.01–0.08%, 2.37–3.65%, 3.95–5.53%, and 2.24–3.34%, respectively at 2.5 and 5.0 g/litre of wastewater. Thus, in order to comply with regulations for the disposal of wastewater effluent, the process of valorizing biomass into biochar offered enormous potential for the removal of heavy metals in addition to wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the impact of biochar on Zea mays L. yield and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in rainfed maize fields in Northwest China. Four treatments were compared: unmodified control (CK), conventional nitrogen (BC0), nitrogen + 20 t ha−1 biochar (BC20), and nitrogen + 50 t ha−1 biochar (BC50). Results showed significant increases in grain yields with BC20 (11.1%) and BC50 (8.6%) compared to BC0. Emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) were reduced by 14.0%–19.5% in biochar treatments compared to CK. Methane (CH4) uptake by the fields, acting as CH4 sinks, was not significantly impacted by biochar treatments, clarifying that the biochar did not alter the farmland's inherent ability to uptake CH4. Over 2 years, the addition of nitrogen fertilizer and biochar did not markedly alter cumulative CH4 uptake. Both net greenhouse gas (NGHG) emissions and yield‐scaled GHG intensity (NGHGI) were lowered by 16.7%–23.5% and 24.2%–30.3%, respectively, with biochar application. The integration of biochar effectively mitigated the GHG emission enhancement due to nitrogen fertilizer, mainly by decreasing nitrogen oxide emissions and boosting maize yields. Thus, proper biochar application would be an economical and effective strategy for mitigating gas emissions from rainfed maize cropping system in semiarid regions. Core Ideas: Biochar significantly increased maize yield in a rainfed cropping system.N2O emission was significantly decreased by 10.9%–19.5% by biochar application.Biochar significantly decreased net global warming potentials (NGWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI).Higher amount of biochar had no further decrease effect on NGWP and GHGI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the pyrolytic decomposition of apple and potato peel waste using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition, using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), the influence of pyrolysis temperature on the physicochemical characteristics and structural properties of biochar was studied. The degradation of biomass samples was studied between 25 °C and 800 °C. Although apple and potato peel decomposition present similar thermogravimetric profiles, there are some differences that can be evidenced from DTG curves. Potato peel showed one degradation peak in the range 205–375 °C with 50% weight loss; meanwhile, the apple peel exhibited two stages: one with a maximum at around 220 °C and about 38% weight loss caused by degradation of simple carbohydrates and a second peak between 280 °C and 380 °C with a maximum at 330 °C, having a weight loss of approximately 24%, attributed to cellulose degradation. To gain more insight into the phenomena involved in biomass conversion, the kinetics of the reaction were analyzed using thermal data collected in non-isothermal conditions with a constant heating rate of 5, 10, 20, or 30 °C /min. The kinetic analysis for each decomposed biomass (apple and potato) was carried out based on single-step and multi-step type techniques by combining the Arrhenius form of the decomposition rate constant with the mass action law. The multi-step approaches provided further insight into the degradation mechanisms for the whole range of the decomposition temperatures. The effect of temperature on biomass waste structure showed that the surface morphologies and surface functional groups of both samples are influenced by the pyrolysis temperature. A higher pyrolysis temperature of 800 °C results in the disappearance of the bands characteristic of the hydroxyl, aliphatic, ether, and ester functional groups, characteristic of a porous surface with increased adsorption capacity. Therefore, this study concludes that biomass waste samples (apple and potato) can produce high yields of biochar and are a potential ecological basis for a sustainable approach. The preliminary adsorption tests show a reasonably good nitrate removal capacity for our biochar samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple and low-cost flame curtain ("Kon-Tiki") kilns are currently the preferred biochar technology for smallholder farmers in the tropics. While gas and aerosol emissions have been documented for woody feedstocks (twigs and leaves) with varying moisture contents, there is a lack of data on emissions from other types of feedstocks. This study aims to document the gas and aerosol emissions for common non-woody feedstocks and to compare emissions from finely grained, high-lignin feedstock (coffee husk) with those from coarser, low-lignin feedstocks (maize cobs, grass, sesame stems). Throughout each pyrolysis cycle, all carbon-containing gases and NOx were monitored using hand-held sensitive instruments equipped with internal pumps. Carbon balances were used to establish emission factors in grams per kilogram of biochar. The resulting methane emissions were nearly zero (<5.5 g/kg biochar) for the pyrolysis of three dry (~10% moisture) maize cobs, grass, and a 1:1 mixture of grass and woody twigs. For sesame stems, methane was detected in only two distinct spikes during the pyrolysis cycle. Carbon monoxide (CO) and aerosol (Total Suspended Particles, TSP) emissions were recorded at levels similar to earlier data for dry twigs, while nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions were negligible. In contrast, the pyrolysis of finely grained coffee husks generated significant methane and aerosol emissions, indicating that technologies other than flame curtain kilns are more suitable for finely grained feedstocks. The emission results from this study suggest that certification of biochar made from dry maize, sesame, and grass biomass using low-tech pyrolysis should be encouraged. Meanwhile, more advanced systems with syngas combustion are needed to sufficiently reduce CO, CH4, and aerosol emissions for the pyrolysis of finely grained biomasses such as rice, coffee, and nut husks. The reported data should aid overarching life-cycle analyses of the integration of biochar practice in climate-smart agriculture and facilitate carbon credit certification for tropical smallholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biochar as a soil amendment for acid soil, particularly acid sulfate soil, has garnered significant interest due to its capacity to improve soil properties, which is further accentuated when combined with dolomite. However, the extent to which the magnitude and direction of this effect vary with biochar produced at different pyrolysis temperatures remains uncertain. We conducted an incubation by mixing soil with dolomite and biochar types derived from Melastoma malabathricum (MMBC) and Dicranopteris linearis (DLBC) at three temperatures (300, 500, and 700°C). The incorporation of dolomite with both biochar types led to significant improvements in soil pH, available P, available Fe, exchangeable K, and exchangeable Ca compared to soil amended with dolomite only. These enhancements were likely attributed to the release of alkalinity, which further raised soil pH, as well as the direct dissolution of P, K, and Ca from the biochar. Moreover, the reduced Fe availability was likely due to the complexation of Fe onto surface functional groups of biochar. Furthermore, these improvements surpassed the effect of the initial feedstock and became increasingly pronounced with higher pyrolysis temperatures. However, an antagonistic effect of dolomite and biochar co‐incorporation was observed, particularly in the relative reduction of soil exchangeable Mg with both biochar types, and a decrease in the soil available N with MMBC produced at 300 and 500°C compared to dolomite addition alone, which could be due to the adsorption of Mg and N onto biochar surface. The results indicate that concurrent application of dolomite and biochar can change the acid sulfate soil properties to varying magnitudes and in different directions, largely regulated by the characteristics of biochar as well as the probable interplay with dolomite. Consequently, selecting the appropriate biochar that aligns with the desired soil properties is crucial in managing dolomite‐treated acid sulfate soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw biochar is an effective amendment at improving soil aggregate structure and increasing soil carbon and potassium (K) content. However, little information is available on the relationship between soil organic carbon (SOC) and aggregate‐associated K distribution under long‐term biochar application conditions. To address this, a field trial established in 2013 was used to examine the impact of biochar (B0: 0 and B1: 2.625 t ha−1 year−1) and K fertilizer (K0: 0 and K1: 60 kg ha−1 year−1) on the variation in soil aggregate K and reveal the associated influencing factors. A total of four treatments (B0K0, B0K1, B1K0, and B1K1) were included in this study. The soil analysis results obtained in 2021 showed that after 9 years' amendment, B1K1 increased the aggregate exchangeable K (EK) and nonexchangeable K (NEK) pools by 27.40% and 39.55%, respectively, and the increment was primarily because biochar enhanced > 0.25 mm aggregate fractions and strengthened soil K+ adsorption capacity, which benefit from a synergistic increase in SOC and humic acid (HA) content by biochar. 13C NMR analysis showed that long‐term biochar applications altered the chemical composition of SOC, with an outcome of increased aromaticity and hydrophobicity but decreased the lipidation of SOC, indicating that the complexity of SOC molecular structure was enhanced and eventually contributed to strengthening the macroaggregates stability and soil K+ adsorption capacity. The correlation analysis revealed that soil aggregate EK and NEK contents were positively correlated with SOC and HA contents, which further proved that increase of SOC and soil HA is a significant mechanism for biochar ameliorate soil aggregate‐associated K availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigating the irreversible consequences of climate change necessitates the application of sustainable energy resources. Hereby, we investigated the biological anaerobic fermentation of Azolla filiculoides biomass for biohydrogen production as a clean renewable energy source. Azolla filiculoides is a widely growing aquatic plant in polluted freshwater streams. However, the high non-biodegradable organic matter content in Azolla filiculoides biomass remains challenging in efficiently producing renewable energy, especially when it is being used as the sole donor substrate. In order to overcome this challenge, different pretreatment scenarios (namely, alkali, autoclaving, and ultrasonication) have been employed for enhancing the hydrolysis of Azolla filiculoides biomass to maximize the anaerobic fermentation and, consequently, the biohydrogen production potential. The biohydrogen production potential was 250.5, 398, 414.5, and 439.5 mL-H2, giving a hydrogen yield of 60.1, 89.6, 92.9, and 107.9 mL-H2/g-VS, respectively. Gompertz kinetics were applied to estimate the growth parameters of the process, which revealed a good fit with R2 ranging from 0.96 to 0.98. The produced digestate was valorized for biochar production, a material that could be applied for water treatment purposes. The produced biochar was characterized using different physical analyses, including FTIR, SEM, EDX, and TEM. The physicochemical characterizations of biochar demonstrate a successful formation of biochar with a highly porous structure and a rough surface, as evidenced by the emergence of significant functional groups (e.g., O-H, C-H, C=C, and C=O) existing on the surface of the biochar. In conclusion, this study harnesses a sustainable approach for the treatment of organic waste streams, which represents a circular economy model by transforming waste materials into valuable products and reducing the reliance on non-renewable resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Amendment significantly improves soil structure and promotes crop growth. To combat soil degradation and low crop yields in facility agriculture, it is crucial to study the optimal application rate of amendments. This study analyzed the effects of biochar, vermicompost, and mineral-source potassium fulvic acid on the stability of aggregate structure, soil nutrient content, and tomato yield in cambisols, providing a theoretical basis for improving the soil quality of plastic greenhouses in Southern China. A pot experiment on tomato cultivation was carried out in yellow-brown soil in plastic greenhouses. The experiment included eight treatments: 1% biochar (B1); 3% biochar (B3); 5% biochar (B5); 3% vermicompost (V3); 5% vermicompost (V5); 0.1% mineral-source potassium fulvic acid (F1); 0.2% mineral-source potassium fulvic acid (F2); and the control condition without adding soil amendments (CK). The results showed that the biochar and vermicompost treatments effectively reduced soil bulk density and increased total soil porosity. Compared to the control, treatments with soil amendments significantly increased soil pH and had different effects on soil nutrients: F2 showed the most significant improvement in the content of available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium, with an increase of 133.33%, 834.59%, and 74.34%, respectively; B3 treatment had the highest increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), while B5 treatment had the highest organic matter content. Compared to the CK, the particle size of the biochar treatment was mainly 0.053~0.25 mm, while the V3, F1, and F2 mainly occurred with a particle size > 0.25 mm; and V3 has the best aggregate stability. Biochar, vermicompost, and mineral potassium fulvic acid can all promote tomato yield, with the F2 and V3 treatments having a yield increase effect of over 30%. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation analysis showed a highly significant positive correlation between geometric mean diameter (GMD) and mean weight diameter (MWD), water-stable macroaggregate content (R0.25), and a positive correlation between alkaline-dissolved nitrogen, available phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon content, and aggregate stability indicators. Adding 0.2% mineral-source potassium fulvic acid optimizes cambisols' properties, enhances aggregate formation and stability, boosts tomato yield, and shows great application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential benefits of biochar, a carbon-rich substance derived from biomass, for enhancing agricultural yield and soil health have drawn increasing interest. Nevertheless, owing to the lack of specialized studies, the role of its poly-spatial structure in the success of fostering plant growth remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the effects of various biochar pore shapes on tobacco growth and the underlying microbiological processes. Three pyrolysis temperatures (250 °C, 400 °C, and 550 °C) were used to produce biochar from tobacco stems, resulting in different pore structures (T3 > T2 > T1). We then used BET-specific surface area (BET), t.Plot micropore specific surface area (t.Plot), mesopore specific surface area (MSSA), specific pore volume (SPV), average pore size (AP), and mesopore pore volume (MPV) measurements to evaluate the effects of these biochars on tobacco growth and biomass accumulation, and microbial analyses were performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. When applied to plants, biochar increased their growth compared to untreated controls. The most notable improvement in tobacco growth was observed in the biochar produced at 400 °C (T3), which possessed the largest and most advantageous pore structure among all treatments. Further studies demonstrated that biochars with greater specific surface areas (BET, t.Plot, and MSSA) positively altered the abundance of key microbial taxa (e.g., Stenotrophobacter, Ensifer, Claroideoglomus) and community composition, thereby encouraging plant development and biomass accumulation. Conversely, greater pore volumes (SPV, AP, and MPV) inhibited microbial activity and significantly affected growth and biomass accumulation. Structural equation modeling further demonstrated that the pore structure of biochar greatly affected plant growth by changing the relative abundance and community composition of soil microbes. Maximizing the benefits of biochar in stimulating plant growth and improving soil microbial communities depends on optimizing the material's pore structure, particularly by increasing the specific surface area. These findings will help expand the use of biochar in sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 41% of households and 2.8 billion people worldwide depend on solid fuels including coal. The available coal reserves in Indonesia are 31.7 billion tons and only enough for the next 65 years. This makes the government encourage the development of research on the utilization of biomass waste as alternative energy. Efforts are made to convert biomass waste in the form of rubber wood into alternative solid fuels through the pyrolysis process. Biochar is produced from biomass through pyrolysis, resulting in excellent combustion quality. Biochar from pyrolysis is combined with brown coal and molasses adhesive to create coal biobriquettes as an alternative solid fuel. The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal composition of brown coal and biochar in producing coal biobriquettes with the best quality. The pyrolysis process of rubber wood waste was carried out at a temperature of 350-400 °C for 2 hours. This study used variations in the composition of biochar (75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, and 95%) and brown coal (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) and 15 mL molasses adhesive. Testing the combustion quality of coal biobriquettes through proximate analysis and value. The results showed that the most optimal product was a sample with a composition of 85% biochar and 15% brown coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Batik is a widely recognized form of clothing in Indonesian society. The batik-making process uses synthetic dyes, which can pollute the environment. This study aims to modify biochar derived from sugarcane bagasse using iron (Fe) synthesis. Biochar was produced through pyrolysis, while iron was sourced from beach sand in Glagah, Yogyakarta. The research involved four stages: (1) production of biochar from sugarcane bagasse, (2) modification of biochar with iron through beach sand synthesis, (3) application of iron-modified biochar (IMB) to methylene blue (MB), and (4) analysis of biochar characteristics. The results show that iron-modified biochar (IMB) affects biochar properties. IMB falls into the micropore category with a micropore surface area of 71.1%. The optimum wavelength was 571 nm with an adsorption level of 0.155. The application of IMB to batik wastewater demonstrated that adding 6% Fe and soaking for 180 minutes achieved the highest reduction in batik wastewater at approximately 69% with an R squared value (R²) of 0.975. Degradation of batik dye with 6% Fe using the Heterogeneous Fenton method resulted in yellow color degradation of 16%, fast green 3%, methylene orange 4%, red 3%, and methylene blue 23%. These findings highlight the potential of using sugarcane bagasse as a renewable resource for producing adsorbents that contribute to effective batik wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document discusses the concept of a circular bioeconomy, emphasizing the importance of utilizing biomass responsibly and effectively to achieve a sustainable future. It highlights the need for regional and local initiatives to promote bio-based circularity, focusing on the Alb-Donau-Kreis district in Germany as an example. The district's bioeconomy strategy aims to transform resource utilization, strengthen innovation, and create a reference framework for bioeconomy implementation at the local level. The document encourages researchers and practitioners to explore the bioeconomy in waste management and circular economy contexts to address global sustainability goals. [Extracted from the article]

To evaluate the potential of compost based on municipal solid waste (MSW) and 20% legume pruning under a pyrolysis process, generated products, including solids (biochar), liquids (bio-oil), and gases (non-condensable gases), through experimentation in a pilot plant with a fluidized bed reactor at 450°C and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry have been analysed. In addition, the compost kinetic behaviour by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), using the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) method, has been investigated. Four different reaction zones, associated with lignocellulosic materials (hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin) with a first step for water evaporation, in TGA curve have been observed. A biochar with low stability and aromaticity, considering high and low O/C and H/C ratios, respectively, has been obtained. The obtained pyrolytic liquids contain a high concentration of phenolic compounds because of a significant presence of lignins and other high molecular weight compounds in the original material. Moreover, the generated non-condensable gases consist mainly of short-chain compounds, such as alcohols, aldehydes, and alkenes produced from hemicellulose, cellulose, and proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium‐sulfur batteries are emerging as sustainable replacements for current lithium‐ion batteries. The commercial viability of this novel type of battery is still under debate due to the extensive use of highly reactive lithium‐metal anodes and the complex electrochemistry of the sulfur cathode. In this research, a novel sulfur‐based battery has been proposed that eliminates the need for metallic lithium anodes and other critical raw materials like cobalt and graphite, replacing them with biomass‐derived materials. This approach presents numerous benefits, encompassing ample availability, cost‐effectiveness, safety, and environmental friendliness. In particular, two types of biochar‐based anode electrodes (non‐activated and activated biochar) derived from spent common ivy have been investigated as alternatives to metallic lithium. We compared their structural and electrochemical properties, both of which exhibited good compatibility with the typical electrolytes used in sulfur batteries. Surprisingly, while steam activation results in an increased specific surface area, the non‐activated ivy biochar demonstrates better performance than the activated biochar, achieving a stable capacity of 400 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and a long lifespan (>400 cycles at 0.5 A g−1). Our results demonstrate that the presence of heteroatoms, such as oxygen and nitrogen positively affects the capacity and cycling performance of the electrodes. This led to increased d‐spacing in the graphitic layer, a strong interaction with the solid electrolyte interphase layer, and improved ion transportation. Finally, the non‐activated biochar was successfully coupled with a sulfur cathode to fabricate lithium‐metal‐free sulfur batteries, delivering a specific energy density of ~600 Wh kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Due to the lower degradation and the potential inhibitory compounds present in slaughterhouse wastewater (SW), its industrial applications are often limited to methane production. This study investigated the combined effect of conductive material such as oat husk‐biochar at different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 g L−1) and particle sizes (i.e., Powder Biochar (PB) (0.05–0.08 mm) vs. Granular Biochar (GB) (0.8–1.0 mm)) in the methane production, biodegradability, kinetic parameters, methanogenic activity and digestate quality of SW, using a multilevel factorial design. RESULTS: Experimental results showed that lower concentration (5, 10 g L−1) increased the methane yield up to 35% for PB and between 11 and 13% for GB compared to the control reactor. The total ammoniacal nitrogen concentrations in the digestate declined between 14% and 52% for all biochar dosages and particle sizes. PB improved the specific methanogenic activity of the biomass compared with GB, indicating that PB can support a well‐balanced methanogenic community compared with GB inside the digester. The multiple response optimization process computed that 7.5 g L−1 of PB is optimal to increase the methane yield, the COD degradation efficiency and shorten the lag phase. On the other hand, doses higher than 15 g L−1 hinder methane generation. CONCLUSIONS: PB supplementation has significant potential to improve the anaerobic degradation of SW. The improvement is attributed to the higher specific surface area, contributing to better support and microbial activity. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the preparation of magnetic carbon nanocomposites (MCNCs) through a two-step procedure: (i) in situ co-precipitation of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles into four different carbonaceous matrixes and (ii) post-pyrolysis treatment to coat the magnetic core. Four post-pyrolysis MCNCs were obtained: MACP (post-pyrolyzed magnetic activated carbon), MCCP (post-pyrolyzed magnetic charcoal), MHCPOR (post-pyrolyzed magnetic hydrochar from orange residue), and MBCPSFH (post-pyrolyzed magnetic biochar from sunflower husk). These four samples were compared with the starting MCNCs prepared without post-pyrolysis treatment: MAC, MCC, MHCOR, and MBCSFH, respectively. After post-pyrolysis treatment, a thin carbon layer surrounding some of the magnetite nanoparticles was identified by transmission electron microscopy. Post-pyrolysis modified the porous structure and chemical composition of MCNCs. Furthermore, a leaching test with acid sulfuric solution at 90 °C was carried out. The results suggested that the MHCPOR and MBCPSFH were more stable in an acidic medium than MACP and MCCP, indicating that the coat generated during post-pyrolysis of hydrochar and biochar could partially protect the magnetic core by reducing Fe leaching into the aqueous solution. Biochar and the hydrochar-based MCNCs before and after post-pyrolysis treatment exhibit superparamagnetic properties; however, their saturation magnetization (Ms) decreased considerably. These results open the potential application fields of MCNCs obtained by post-pyrolysis of biochar and hydrochar-based materials in acidic mediums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to evaluate an industrial dye Sella Fast Grey CLL (SFG CLL) removal potential using biochars produced from cow bone waste (CBW) by slow pyrolysis at 500 (CBWC500), 600 (CBWC600), and 700 °C (CBWC700), with 10 °C/min as a heating and 1 h as residence time. The CBW and the prepared biochars samples are characterized by proximate, ultimate analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller model (BET). The maximum biochar yield (55.46 wt%) is obtained at 500 °C. The highest biochar surface area is around 101.79 m2 g−1 for CBWC700, and all produced chars are mesoporous materials (pore size around 6 nm). The SFG CLL dye adsorption mechanisms on CBW chars is investigated and the main results reveal that the experimental data fitted with a pseudo-second-order model with high correlation factor R2 = 0.99. These results suggest a chemisorption process. The experimental data yield fits correctly with Langmuir isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity for removing SFG CLL around 49.0, 50.8, and 61.7 mg g−1 for CBWC500, CBWC600, and CBWC700 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biochar pyrolyzed from the sludge is porous and non-polar and can be used as an adsorbent for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollutants. However, the adsorption process and effect of biochar on the widespread mixed petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants (including saturated hydrocarbons, resins, aromatic hydrocarbons and asphaltenes, etc.) are not thoroughly revealed. Among diverse treatment technologies, pyrolysis can effectively achieve the reduction of the excess sludge and obtain biochar. The characteristics of biochar are inseparably bound to the pyrolysis temperature. The physicochemical properties of biochar obtained from excess sludge which was pyrolyzed at different temperatures (300–900 °C) and the performance of it in absorbing actual ground crude oil were investigated in this study. The results showed that as the pyrolysis temperature increased, the polarity of biochar decreased, and the honeycomb or layered structure containing plenty of micropores appeared. The petroleum hydrocarbons' removal efficiency of biochar with the pyrolysis temperature of 700℃ was up to 96.01%, which was the highest among all biochar. In addition, the leaching test showed that only four metal ions were detected, of which the highest concentration was 4.78 × 10−2 mg/g of K+. It indicated that the biochar derived from excess sludge was expected to become environment friendly materials to avoid soil pollution during the process of oil extraction and processing. This study provided new sights for the treatment of excess sludge and the application of the produced biochar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate effects of biochar levels in diets on in vitro methane emission and rumen fermentation. Biochar, produced from rice husk, pyrolysis at 700 °C, was supplemented in diets at 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7% (dry matter (DM) basis). Total gas, methane production, dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) digestibility, pH, and NH3-N concentration were measured at 4, 24, and 48 h after incubation. Results showed that total gas and methane emission of diets with biochar was lower than that of the diet without biochar. Methane production decreased linearly (P < 0.01) with increasing biochar levels. DM and OM digestibility, as well as NH3-N concentration of diets with 1 or 3% biochar, was similar to the diet without biochar. When the dietary biochar level was increased up to 5 or 7% in diets, OM and DM digestibility and NH3-N concentration decreased significantly compared to the diet without biochar (P < 0.01). Our findings implicated that supplementing 3% biochar (DM basis) to the diet is recommended to reduce methane production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas, one of potential renewable energies, could play an effective role in fulfilling the world's energy demand. The presence of elevated concentrations of H2S in biogas is problematic because of its highly corrosiveness and toxicity. Recently, there has been interest in utilizing biochar as alternative adsorbent to remove H2S from biogas. In this study, the adsorption capacity of banana peel biochar (BPB) and banana empty fruit bunch biochar (BEFBB) wastes for removing H2S from biogas was investigated. Biochar was produced through the pyrolysis process. Firstly, physical and chemical properties of biochar (moisture content, volatile compound content, ash content, fixed carbon, iodine number, pH, and BET surface) were determined. BEFBB possessed higher fixed carbon content (38.05%), iodine number (146.98 ± 2.29 mg g−1), pH value (8.7 ± 0.3), and larger BET surface (3.18 m2 g−1) than BPB. Secondly, the effect of biochar types and biochar pellet sizes on the adsorption capacity was investigated. The adsorption experiment was carried out, using anaerobically digested biogas, in a packed column containing 10 g of biochar with the pallet size of 1.0 cm of diameter, the initial H2S concentration of 500 ppm at the flowrate of 500 mL min−1. Adsorption efficiency curves showed that the two types of biochar presented high removal capacity for H2S but very low removal capacity for CH4 and CO2. The breakthrough adsorption capacity of BPB and BEFBB was found to be 5.85 mg g−1 and 7.65 mg g−1, respectively, consisting well with their physiochemical characterizations. Then, the effect of biochar pellet sizes on the removal efficiency was studied at three different pallet sizes (0.50 cm, 1.00 cm, and 1.50 cm of diameter). Smaller pellet size adsorbent showed higher removal efficiency than larger pellet size owning to its larger surface area. The FTIR analysis result of BEFBB shown that carboxylic and hydroxide radical groups were most likely responsible for H2S adsorption. Finally, the SEM/EDX results showed significant changes in morphological and chemical properties after the adsorption process. Therefore, BPB and BEFBB could be used as an alternative adsorbent for removing H2S from biogas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]