Microalgal-based biochar in wastewater remediation: Its synthesis, characterization and applications

Law XN 1 , Cheah WY 2 , Chew KW 3 , Ibrahim MF 4 , Park YK 5 , Ho SH 6 Show all authors , Show PL 7

Affiliations 

  • 1 State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, PR China; School of Bioscience, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, 43500, Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, MAHSA University, 42610, Jenjarom, Selangor, Malaysia. Electronic address: waiyan@mahsa.edu.my
  • 3 School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University Malaysia, Jalan Sunsuria, Bandar Sunsuria, 43900, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. Electronic address: kitwayne.chew@xmu.edu.my
  • 4 Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • 5 School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul, 02504, Republic of Korea
  • 6 State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, PR China. Electronic address: stephen6949@hit.edu.cn
  • 7 Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, 43500, Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Electronic address: showpauloke@gmail.com
Environ Res, 2022 03;204(Pt A):111966.
PMID: 34450156 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111966

Abstract

Microalgae are drawing attentions among researchers for their biorefinery use or value-added products. The high production rate of biomasses produced are attractive for conversion into volatile biochar. Torrefaction, pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization are the recommended thermochemical conversion techniques that could produce microalgal-based biochar with desirable physiochemical properties such as high surface area and pore volume, abundant surface functional groups, as well as functionality such as high adsorption capacity. The characterizations of the biochar significantly influence the mechanisms in adsorption of pollutants from wastewaters. Specific adsorption of the organic and inorganic pollutants from the effluent are reviewed to examine the adsorption capacity and efficiency of biochar derived from different microalgae species. Last but not least, future remarks over the challenges and improvements are discussed accordingly. Overall, this review would discuss the synthesis, characterization and application of the microalgal-based biochar in wastewater.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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