The presence of emerging contaminants in water can harm both the environment and human health. Traditional water and wastewater treatment cannot eliminate them, so different alternatives for their removal are being studied. The use of activated carbon as an adsorbent is emphasized due to its high adsorption capacity and lower cost, and to the possibility of obtaining it from biomass wastes. Thus, this study evaluated the use of Syagrus coronata waste to produce activated biochars and their adsorption capacity of isoniazid from an aqueous medium. For this, the biochar obtained through slow pyrolysis was chemically activated using two different agents, H2SO4 or KOH. The adsorbent’s acidic and textural properties were studied and correlated with adsorption behavior tested in batch and fixed-bed column systems, using commercial activated carbon as a comparison. The KOH activation process produced a predominantly microporous material (BAC), with a high surface area (1006 m2·g−1) and a high content of oxygenated functional groups (1.98 mmol·g−1). BAC outperformed all other materials tested and ones found in other works using isoniazid as a contaminant model, having a high adsorption capacity (712.42 mg·g−1). Thus, this work successfully obtained an efficient adsorbent produced from an agro-industrial waste, with superior performance.
Slow pyrolysis is a process for the thermochemical conversion of biomasses into bio-oils that may contain a rich chemical composition with biotechnological potential. Bio-oil produced from crambe fruits was investigated as to their acaricidal effect. Slow pyrolysis of crambe fruits was performed in a batch reactor at 400°C and chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The bio-oil collected was used in bioassays with larvae and engorged females of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus. Biological assays were performed using the larval packet test (LPT) and adult immersion test. The GC-MS of crambe fruit bio-oil revealed mainly hydrocarbons such as alkanes and alkenes, phenols, and aldehydes. The bio-oil in the LPT exhibited an LC90 of 14.4%. In addition, crambe bio-oil caused female mortality of 91.1% at a concentration of 15% and a high egg-laying inhibition. After ovary dissection of treated females, a significant reduction in gonadosomatic index was observed, indicating that bio-oil interfered in tick oogenesis. Considering these results, it may be concluded that slow pyrolysis of crambe fruit affords a sustainable and eco-friendly product for the control of cattle tick R. microplus.
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