Nutrient pollution has a diverse impact on the environment and human health. The presence of nutrients, such as ammonium and phosphate, is ubiquitous in the environment due to their extensive use in agricultural land and leaching through non-point sources. In this context, biochar-based composites could play an essential role in improving the soil's nutrient retention capacity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSulfamethoxazole (SMX) is a frequently used antibiotic for the treatment of urinary tract, respiratory, and intestinal infections and as a supplement in livestock or fishery farming to boost production. The release of SMX into the environment can lead to the development of antibiotic resistance among the microbial community, which can lead to frequent clinical infections. SMX removal from water is usually done through advanced treatment processes, such as adsorption, photocatalytic oxidation, and biodegradation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProviding a valuable application to the under-utilized solid residue of co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastics could substantially improve economic and environmental sustainability of the process, thereby fostering circular economy. This study focuses on the variation of thermal and physiochemical characteristics of solid char, produced from the co-pyrolysis of waste low-density polyethylene (WLDPE) and Eucalyptus wood with varying pyrolysis temperatures from 300 to 550 °C, residence times of 90-150 min, and relative percentage of 33% and 25% (w/w) WLDPE in the feedstock. The highest values of yield (37%), energy density (1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeavy metals like Cr (VI), when released into the environment, pose a serious threat to animal and human health. In this study, iron and (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) biochar composites were prepared from the biochar, which was produced through the pyrolysis of rice straw at 400 and 600 °C, using the chemical processes with an aim that the doping of pristine biochar structure with the Fe and NH radicals would enhance the removal of Cr (VI) and Zn (II) adsorption in both aqueous solution and soil. Both biochar composites were mixed at a rate of 3% (w/w) with the mine soil for the soil incubation test, and after completion of the test, a soil fertility index (SFI) was calculated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, potassium-iron rice straw biochar composite (KRSB) was produced and compared with rice straw biochar (RSB) for the sorption of NO, PO, and NH in aqueous medium and soil column. RSB was produced by pyrolyzing rice straw at 400 and 600 °C in a slow pyrolysis unit. KRSB was produced through chemical and hydrothermal treatments of rice straw biochar produced at 400 and 600 °C.
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