One-Step Carbonization Synthesis of Magnetic Biochar with 3D Network Structure and Its Application in Organic Pollutant Control

Abstract

In this study, a magnetic biochar with a unique 3D network structure was synthesized by using a simple and controllable method. In brief, the microbial filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei was used as a template, and Fe3+ was added to the culture process, which resulted in uniform recombination through the bio-assembly property of fungal hyphae. Finally, magnetic biochar (BMFH/Fe3O4) was synthesized by controlling different heating conditions in a high temperature process. The adsorption and Fenton-like catalytic performance of BMFH/Fe3O4 were investigated by using the synthetic dye malachite green (MG) and the antibiotic tetracycline hydrochloride (TH) as organic pollutant models. The results showed that the adsorption capacity of BMFH/Fe3O4 for MG and TH was 158.2 and 171.26 mg/g, respectively, which was higher than that of most biochar adsorbents, and the Fenton-like catalytic degradation effect of organic pollutants was also better than that of most catalysts. This study provides a magnetic biochar with excellent performance, but more importantly, the method used can be effective in further improving the performance of biochar for better control of organic pollutants.

Magnetic Luffa-Leaf-Derived Hierarchical Porous Biochar for Efficient Removal of Rhodamine B and Tetracycline Hydrochloride

“…The high-resolution O1s spectrum of LLB-MB and LLB-MB@Fe 3 O 4 had peaks at 529.98 eV, 531.59–531.61 eV, 532.83–532.97, and 534.38 eV, corresponding to quinones, C=O, C-O, and -OH, respectively [ 32 , 33 ]. The high-resolution N1s spectrum of LLB-MB and LLB-MB@Fe 3 O 4 both had peaks at 397.41–397.61 eV and 399.57–400.16 eV, corresponding to pyridinic-N and pyrrolic-N [ 39 ]. Additionally, LLB-MB had a special peak at 401.09 eV corresponding to graphite-N [ 39 ], which may have disappeared during the process of the chemical co-precipitation of the composite magnetic properties.…”

“…The high-resolution N1s spectrum of LLB-MB and LLB-MB@Fe 3 O 4 both had peaks at 397.41–397.61 eV and 399.57–400.16 eV, corresponding to pyridinic-N and pyrrolic-N [ 39 ]. Additionally, LLB-MB had a special peak at 401.09 eV corresponding to graphite-N [ 39 ], which may have disappeared during the process of the chemical co-precipitation of the composite magnetic properties.…”

“…On one hand, with the increase in cycles, the organic pollutants adsorbed by biochars form by-products on their surfaces in the process of re-carbonization, which may lead to a reduction in adsorption sites [ 28 , 51 ]. On the other hand, with increasing re-carbonization times the porous structures and surfaces of biochars become more fragile, which further affects the adsorption performance [ 39 ]. After 10 cycles, the RhB and TH removal efficiencies of LLB-MB were 50.1% and 51.3%, and the RhB and TH removal efficiencies of LLB-MB@Fe 3 O 4 were 70.4% and 72.3%.…”

“…Compared with LLB-MB, the cycle stability of LLB-MB@Fe 3 O 4 was significantly higher. It can be speculated that the presence of magnetic nanoparticles may give the structure of LLB-MB@Fe 3 O 4 higher mechanical strength than LLB-MB [ 39 ], either during adsorption or during re-carbonization.…”

Recent Advances in Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of Innovative Materials in Removal of Water Contaminants

“…In this Special Issue, Chen et al reported on the one-step carbonization synthesis of magnetic biochar (BMFH/Fe 3 O 4 ) with a 3D network structure, undertaken by controlling different heating conditions in a high-temperature process, as well as its application in organic pollutant control [14]. The microbial filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei was used as a template, and Fe 3+ was added to the culture process, which resulted in uniform recombination through the bio-assembly properties of fungal hyphae [14]. The presence of magnetic nanoparticles allows researchers to recover biochar from water and convert it into a Fenton-like catalytic reagent that improves treatment efficiency [14].…”