Granular biochar compared with activated carbon for wastewater treatment and resource recovery

Abstract

a b s t r a c tGranular wood-derived biochar (BC) was compared to granular activated carbon (GAC) for the treatment and nutrient recovery of real wastewater in both batch and column studies. Batch adsorption studies showed that BC material had a greater adsorption capacity at the high initial concentrations of total chemical oxygen demand (COD -T ) (1200 mg L Elemental analysis showed that both materials accumulated phosphorous during wastewater treatment (2.6 ± 0.4 g kg À1 and 1.9 ± 0.1 g kg À1 for BC and GAC respectively). They also contained high concentrations of other macronutrients (K, Ca, and Mg) and low concentrations of metals (As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Cu). The good performance of BC is attributed to its macroporous structure compared with the microporous GAC. These favorable treatment data for high strength wastewater, coupled with additional lifecycle benefits, helps support the use of BC in packed bed column filters for enhanced wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery.

Biochar and activated carbon act as promising amendments for promoting the microbial debromination of tetrabromobisphenol A

“…In the present study, the more important stimulating effect of BC over AC could be attributed to the fact that, although both amendments displayed similar C and N contents, labile organic matter of BC was twice that of AC, and leachable C and N were ~20 times more important in BC than in AC (Table 1). In addition, AC typically possesses a higher proportion of micropores, unaccessible to most microbial cells, as compared to BC (Inyang and Dickenson, 2015; Huggins et al, 2016), and as measured in the present study (i.e., 70% of micropores are in the 2–10 nm size range for AC, while 74% are in the 20–80 nm size range for BC, Table S1). Finally, differences in amendments’ surface functional groups (Fig S2) might also have contributed to the differential growth of the microbial communities between AC and BC-amended reactors, as BC might display more redox-active moieties than AC, hence promoting bacterial growth (Yu et al, 2015).…”

“…Although microbial reductive debromination of TBBPA to bisphenol A (BPA) has been reported in sewage sludge, the anaerobic natural microbial attenuation of hydrophobic organic contaminants is generally a slow process (Lefevre et al, 2016). Recently, there has been a growing interest in using carbonaceous sorbent amendments, such as biochar (BC) and activated carbon (AC), for the immobilization and removal of inorganic and organic contaminants from wastewater (Mohan et al, 2014; Inyang and Dickenson, 2015; Huggins et al, 2016). Both carbonaceous amendments are generated through the conversion of waste biomass (e.g., wood, manure, crop residues and municipal waste) under elevated temperatures (350–800 °C) and oxygen-limited conditions (Inyang and Dickenson, 2015).…”

Biochar compared with activated granular carbon for landfill leachate treatment

“…On an industrial scale as sorbents, hard coal, lignite, peat, half-coke or coke are used, but also the seeds of apricot and almond shell, the shell of the Italian coconut as well as nut shell [11][12][13]. Common GAC materials are comprised primarily of micropores (> 1 nm) which are highly effective at adsorbing dissolved contaminants, but are easily blocked by suspended solids [14,15]. In recent years, research has been carried out to replace GAC with cheaper material.…”

“…up to 90% lower demand). The biochar changes the pH of soil, improves its fertility and yields crops [14][15][16]. Using spent BC material after wastewater/landfill leachate treatment as an agricultural amendment could further increase its life-cycle benefits.…”

Facile preparation of magnetic porous carbon monolith from waste corrugated cardboard box for solar steam generation and adsorption

“…Carbonaceous materials with developed porous structure are commonly used as adsorbents by adsorbing pollutants from water. Porous carbon materials have been applied in the removal of nutrients [11], heavy metals [12], antibiotics [13], dyes [14], and natural organic matter [15]. Recently, the "treating contaminants with wastes" strategy has been considered as an inspiring approach to reducing the costs of contaminated water purification, and it has triggered the studies focused on the production of porous carbon materials from organic wastes, such as crab shell [16,17], garlic skin [13], oil palm sell [18], rice husk [19], waste tire [20], and so on.…”