Environmental remediation of emerging contaminants using subcritical water: A review.

The continuous rise of emerging contaminants (ECs) in the environment has been a growing concern due to their potentially harmful effects on humans, animals, plants, and aquatic life, even at low concentrations. ECs include human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, hormones, personal care products, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organic dyes, heavy metals (HMs), and others. The world's growing population contributes to the release of many kinds of chemicals into the environment, which is estimated to be more than 200 billion metric tons annually and results in over 9 million deaths.

A coherent engineering assessment of ABS/biochar biocomposites in MEX 3D additive manufacturing.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) composites were prepared in filament form compatible with the material extrusion (MEX) 3D printing method, using biochar as a filler at various loadings of up to 10.0 wt %. Samples were fabricated to experimentally investigate their mechanical performance.

Insight into the wheat residues-derived adsorbents for the remediation of organic and inorganic aquatic contaminants: A review.

Wheat is a major grain crop of the world that provides a stable food for human consumption. Large amounts of by-products/waste materials are produced after the harvesting and processing of wheat crop. Such materials can cause an environmental issue if not disposed of properly.

Removal of Am from Aqueous Solutions by Adsorption on Sponge Gourd Biochar.

biomass was converted to biochar and the removal of Am by pristine and oxidized biochar fibers was investigated in laboratory and environmental water samples. This species has the added advantage of a unique microsponge structure that is beneficial for the production of porous adsorbents. The main purpose of this study was to valorize this biomass to produce an efficient adsorbent and investigate its performance in radionuclide-contaminated waters.

Subcritical Water Extraction of : Process Optimization and Chemical Profile of the Extracts.

The aboveground and root parts of were extracted using subcritical water and the process was optimized with response surface methodology. The composition of the extracts was determined by chromatographic methods and compared to that of conventional maceration of the plant. The optimum total phenolic contents for the aboveground part and the roots were 193.

Bamboo-derived adsorbents for environmental remediation: A review of recent progress.

The bamboo family of plants is one of the fastest-growing species in the world. As such, there is an abundance of bamboo residues available for exploitation, especially in southeast Asian, central African and south American regions. The preparation of efficient adsorbents from bamboo residues is an emerging exploitation pathway.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Siderite and Application as Catalyst in the Electro-Fenton Oxidation of -Benzoquinone.

A weak aspect of the electro-Fenton (EF) oxidation of contaminants is the dependence of the Fenton reaction on acidic pH values. Therefore, the rationale of this work was to develop a novel catalyst capable of promoting the EF oxidation process at near-neutral and basic pH values. In this framework, rhombohedral FeCO was synthesized hydrothermally and used as a catalyst in the EF oxidation of -benzoquinone (BQ).

Biochar application as a soil potassium management strategy: A review.

The established practices of intensive agriculture, combined with inadequate soil Κ replenishment by conventional inorganic fertilization, results in a negative environmental impact through the gradual exhaustion of different forms of K reserves in soils. Although biochar application as soil amendment has been established as an approach of integrated nutrient management, few works have focused on the impact of biochar application to soil K availability and crop uptake. This review provides an up-to-date analysis of the published literature, focusing on the impact of biochar in the availability of potassium in soil and crop growth.

A dual purpose aluminum-based metal organic framework for the removal of chloramphenicol from wastewater.

The presence of antibiotics in the aquatic environment can cause significant environmental and human health problems even at trace concentrations. Conventional treatment systems alone are ineffective in removing these resistant antibiotics. To address this problem, oxidation and adsorption techniques were used to explore the removal of recalcitrant antibiotic chloramphenicol (CAP).

A web-based GIS platform supporting innovative irrigation management techniques at farm-scale for the Mediterranean island of Crete.

The aim of this paper is the creation of an integrated and free-access web platform for parcel irrigation water management on a large spatial scale (Water District of Crete, in Greece) in order to: a) accurately determine the irrigation needs of the main crops for Crete such as olives, citrus, avocados and vineyards, b) design strategies, for optimal adaptation of the agricultural sector in the context of climate change, and c) incorporate the dynamic integration of the above information through the creation of a digital platform. In the proposed decision-making system, essential factors are taken into account, such as real-time meteorological data, information about the type and spatial distribution of the agricultural parcels in Crete, algorithms for calculation crop evapotranspiration per development stage and age of the crops, satellite remote sensing techniques in combination with field surveys to depict accurate soil texture map for the whole island of Crete as well as sustainable cultivation practices for saving water per crop and parcel geomorphology. Based on the proposed decision-making system, users will have the opportunity in any specific location/farm in Crete to know the irrigation needs of the crops in real-time and obtain information about proper climate-water adaptation practices.

Recent progress on the phytotoxic effects of hydrochars and toxicity reduction approaches.

Hydrothermal carbonization of wet biomasses has been known to produce added-value materials for a wide range of applications. From catalyst substrates, to biofuels and soil amendments, hydrochars have distinct advantages to offer compared to conventional materials. With respect to the agricultural application of hydrochars, both positive and negative results have been reported.

Degradation of emerging contaminant coumarin based on anodic oxidation, electro-Fenton and subcritical water oxidation processes.

The degradation of emerging contaminant coumarin was separately investigated in anodic, electro-Fenton and subcritical water oxidation processes. With respect to the anodic and electro-Fenton oxidation, the influence of constant current, treatment time and initial concentration of coumarin was studied. Regarding subcritical water oxidation, the effect of the oxidant concentration, temperature, treatment time and initial coumarin concentration was investigated.

Preparation and Application of a Hydrochar-Based Palladium Nanocatalyst for the Reduction of Nitroarenes.

In the present study, a novel heterogeneous catalyst was successfully fabricated through the decoration of palladium nanoparticles on the surface of designed FeO-coffee waste composite (Pd-FeO-CWH) for the catalytic reduction of nitroarenes. Various characterization techniques such as XRD, FE-SEM and EDS were used to establish its nano-sized chemical structure. It was determined that Pd-FeO-CWH is a useful nanocatalyst, which can efficiently reduce various nitroarenes, including 4-nitrobenzoic acid (4-NBA), 4-nitroaniline (4-NA), 4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine (4-NPD), 2-nitroaniline (2-NA) and 3-nitroanisole (3-NAS), using NaBH in aqueous media and ambient conditions.

Comparative degradation of 5-fluorouracil in aqueous solution by using HO-modified subcritical water, photocatalytic oxidation and electro-Fenton processes.

This study investigated the degradation of the antineoplastic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) widely applied to treat different cancers using different advanced oxidation processes such as electro-Fenton (EF), photocatalysis with TiO and HO-modified subcritical water oxidation. The treatment with the EF process was the most efficient compared to others. Interestingly, in the EF process, the oxidative degradation of 5-FU behaved differently depending on the anode used.

Towards a Soil Remediation Strategy Using Biochar: Effects on Soil Chemical Properties and Bioavailability of Potentially Toxic Elements.

Soil contamination with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is considered one of the most severe environmental threats, while among remediation strategies, research on the application of soil amendments has received important consideration. This review highlights the effects of biochar application on soil properties and the bioavailability of potentially toxic elements describing research areas of intense current and emerging activity. Using a visual scientometric analysis, our study shows that between 2019 and 2020, research sub-fields like earthworm activities and responses, greenhouse gass emissions, and low molecular weight organic acids have gained most of the attention when biochar was investigated for soil remediation purposes.

Single-stage production of miscanthus hydrochar at low severity conditions and application as adsorbent of copper and ammonium ions.

In the framework of bio-circular economy, miscanthus biomass was valorized through a single-stage, low severity hydrothermal carbonization process. The produced hydrochars were characterized using elemental and spectroscopic methodologies. It was determined that as the temperature increased so did the C content (47.

Degradation, solubility and chromatographic studies of Ibuprofen under high temperature water conditions.

Ibuprofen (IBP) is an emerging environmental contaminant having low aqueous solubility which negatively affects the application of advanced oxidation and adsorption processes. It was determined that as the temperature increased to 473 K, the mole fraction solubility increased considerably from 0.02 × 10 to 212.

Evaluation of sewage sludge biochar and modified derivatives as novel SPE adsorbents for monitoring of bisphenol A.

Sewage sludge is abundant biomass, the sustainable management of which remains a big issue worldwide. It was demonstrated that pyrolysis of sewage sludge using simple and cost-effective apparatus can produce biochars, suitable for solid-phase extraction applications of hydrophobic analytes. Detailed characterization showed that modification lead to three more hydrophobic and one more hydrophilic sample, compared to the original biochar.

Synthesis of ZrO nanoparticles on pumice and tuff for sonocatalytic degradation of rifampin.

ZrO-pumice and ZrO-tuff nanocomposites were synthesized via a modified sol-gel method and used as efficient catalysts for sonocatalytic degradation of rifampin (RIF). The physico-chemical properties of the prepared catalysts were examined using XRF, SEM, EDX, FT-IR and BET analyses and compared to pure pumice and tuff samples. Subsequently, the efficacy of catalysts in degradation of RIF was assessed under various experimental conditions.

Preparation of novel CeO-biochar nanocomposite for sonocatalytic degradation of a textile dye.

The sonocatalytic performance of CeO nanoparticles synthesized by a hydrothermal method (CeO-H) and CeO@biochar (CeO-H@BC) nanocomposite, were evaluated for the degradation of Reactive Red 84 (RR84) under ultrasonic irradiation. For comparison purposes the corresponding performance of bare biochar (BC) and commercial CeO (CeO-C) samples were also assessed. A complementary characterization study, involving scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N adsorption at -196°C (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was undertaken to gain insight into the structure-performance relationships.

Sonocatalytic degradation of Reactive Yellow 39 using synthesized ZrO nanoparticles on biochar.

ZrO-biochar (ZrO-BC) nanocomposite was prepared by a modified sonochemical/sol-gel method. The physicochemical properties of the prepared nanocomposite were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller model. The sonocatalytic performance of ZrO-BC was investigated in sonochemical degradation of Reactive Yellow 39 (RY39).

Sonocatalytic degradation of an anthraquinone dye using TiO-biochar nanocomposite.

TiO-biochar (TiO-BC) nanocomposite was synthesized by sol-gel method. The characteristics of the prepared nanocomposite were examined using X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and N adsorption-desorption analysis. The performance of synthesized TiO-BC nanocomposite as efficient sonocatalyst was studied for the degradation of Reactive Blue 69 (RB69).

Ultrasound-assisted removal of Acid Red 17 using nanosized FeO-loaded coffee waste hydrochar.

The FeO-loaded coffee waste hydrochar (FeO-CHC) was synthesized using a simple precipitation method. The as-prepared adsorbent was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The EDX analysis indicated the presence of Fe in the structure of FeO-CHC.

Toward the Standardization of Biochar Analysis: The COST Action TD1107 Interlaboratory Comparison.

Biochar produced by pyrolysis of organic residues is increasingly used for soil amendment and many other applications. However, analytical methods for its physical and chemical characterization are yet far from being specifically adapted, optimized, and standardized. Therefore, COST Action TD1107 conducted an interlaboratory comparison in which 22 laboratories from 12 countries analyzed three different types of biochar for 38 physical-chemical parameters (macro- and microelements, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pH, electrical conductivity, and specific surface area) with their preferential methods.

Rice husks and their hydrochars cause unexpected stress response in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans: reduced transcription of stress-related genes.

Currently, char substrates gain a lot of interest since soils amended with such substrates are being discussed to increase in fertility and productivity, water retention, and mitigation of greenhouse gases. Char substrates can be produced by carbonization of organic matter. Among different process conditions, temperature is the main factor controlling the occurrence of organic and inorganic contaminants such as phenols and furfurals, which may affect target and non-target organisms.