TY - JOUR
T1 - Tailoring wood waste biochar as a reusable microwave absorbent for pollutant removal
T2 - Structure-property-performance relationship and iron-carbon interaction
AU - Sun, Yuqing
AU - Zhang, Qiaozhi
AU - Clark, James H.
AU - Graham, Nigel J.D.
AU - Hou, Deyi
AU - Ok, Yong Sik
AU - Tsang, Daniel C.W.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors appreciate the financial support from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (PolyU 15222020) and Hong Kong Green Tech Fund (GTF202020153) for this study. The authors also acknowledge the equipment support provided by the University Research Facility Chemical and Environmental Analysis (UCEA) of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - This study innovated the concept in designing an efficient and reusable microwave (MW) absorbent through concurrent exploitation of carbon graphitization, oxygen functionalization, and carbothermal iron reduction underpinned by an endothermic co-pyrolysis of wood waste and low-dosage iron. A powerful MW assimilation was accomplished from nanoscale amorphous magnetic particles as well as graphitized microporous carbon-iron skeleton in the biochar composites. Relative to a weak magnetic loss derived from the iron phase, the graphitic carbon architecture with abundant surface functionalities (i.e., C–O and C[dbnd]O) exhibited a strong dielectric loss, which was thus prioritized as major active sites during MW reuse. The MW-absorbing biochar demonstrated a fast, robust, and durable removal of a refractory herbicide (2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid) under mild MW irradiation with zero chemical input, low electricity consumption, and negligible Fe dissolution. Overall, this study will foster carbon–neutral industrial wastewater treatment and wood waste valorization.
AB - This study innovated the concept in designing an efficient and reusable microwave (MW) absorbent through concurrent exploitation of carbon graphitization, oxygen functionalization, and carbothermal iron reduction underpinned by an endothermic co-pyrolysis of wood waste and low-dosage iron. A powerful MW assimilation was accomplished from nanoscale amorphous magnetic particles as well as graphitized microporous carbon-iron skeleton in the biochar composites. Relative to a weak magnetic loss derived from the iron phase, the graphitic carbon architecture with abundant surface functionalities (i.e., C–O and C[dbnd]O) exhibited a strong dielectric loss, which was thus prioritized as major active sites during MW reuse. The MW-absorbing biochar demonstrated a fast, robust, and durable removal of a refractory herbicide (2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid) under mild MW irradiation with zero chemical input, low electricity consumption, and negligible Fe dissolution. Overall, this study will foster carbon–neutral industrial wastewater treatment and wood waste valorization.
KW - Engineered biochar
KW - Iron-biochar composite
KW - Microwave absorption
KW - Sustainable wastewater treatment
KW - Wood waste recycling/management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136643568&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127838
DO - 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127838
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36031124
AN - SCOPUS:85136643568
SN - 0960-8524
VL - 362
JO - Agricultural Wastes
JF - Agricultural Wastes
M1 - 127838
ER -