Biochar Synthesis for Industrial Wastewater Treatment: A Critical Review

Abstract

Excess sludge generated from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can cause negative impacts on human health, water bodies, aquatic plants, and soil quality. However, the produced sludge could be appropriately managed to obtain various economic and environmental benefits. One of the feasible and practical options of sludge management is the synthesize of biochar via oxygen-limited pyrolysis. The use of biochar adsorbent for pollutant removal offers various advantages such as high adsorption capability, low operating and chemical costs, no production of toxins. Hence, this study addresses the applications of sewage sludge-derived biochar for industrial wastewater treatment. The methods of sludge collection, drying, pulverization, and pyrolysis are illustrated. Biochar characterization methods (SEM, EDX, XRD, and FTIR analyses) and mechanisms of the adsorption process are described. The sludge-derived biochar could be used as an adsorptive material for industrial effluent treatment. Recommendations for future studies that could enhance the adsorption capacity of biochar and modified-biochar are given.

One-pot fabrication of magnetic biochar by FeCl3-activation of lotus seedpod and its catalytic activity towards degradation of Orange G

“…Biochar (BC) is an inexpensive material produced from the carbonization of diverse renewable biomass resources [1][2][3]. Due to its favorable physicochemical properties, porous system and diverse functional groups [4][5][6], biochar is widely used for various purposes, such as wastewater treatment, soil remediation, and gas storage and separation [7,8]. Nevertheless, the obstacle of biochar is difficult to separate from suspensions.…”

“…In the opposite direction, the carbon base could prevent the magnetic particles from aggregating into larger particles [13,14]. The MBC composite possesses attractive physicochemical properties from not only porous systems and diverse functional groups of carbon base, but also catalytic activity and magnetic recoverability of iron-based particles [5,12].…”

Pyrolysis Kinetics of Byrsonima crassifolia Stone as Agro-Industrial Waste through Isoconversional Models

“…Finally, yields of 31.61, 29.84, and 30.45% were observed for heating rates of 5, 10, and 15 °C/min, respectively, at a temperature of 600 °C. Thus, Nanche endocarp can be considered a very good precursor for the generation of biochar and volatile compounds by slow pyrolysis [ 34 ].…”

A comprehensive review on emerging trends in industrial wastewater research

“…Biochar is a porous carbonized material produced by pyrolysis or thermochemical decomposition of biomass in the absence or scarcity of oxygen [64]. Due to the presence of a broad surface area, a large number of pores, oxygenated exterior functional groups, and economic viability, biochar can effectively be used in the removal of various organic and inorganic pollutants [65]. Moreover, biochar can be prepared with the use of organic wastes such as manure, sewage sludge, and lignocellulosic biomass as substrates, thus reducing the use of chemicals in its preparation [66].…”

“…These properties of sewage sludge-derived biochar make them suitable candidates to be used in the effective treatment of industrial wastewater. Biochar removes contaminants through various mechanisms such as physical adsorption, surface precipitation, electrostatic interaction, pores filling, surface complexation, and ion exchange [65,68]. Variations in the physicochemical characteristics of the adsorbent and pollutant to be removed attribute to the different mechanisms of adsorption [69].…”