We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Research status, trends, and mechanisms of biochar adsorption for wastewater treatment: a scientometric review
Summary
This review analyzes over 2,600 scientific publications on using biochar, a charcoal-like material, to treat polluted water by absorbing contaminants including heavy metals and organic pollutants. While not focused specifically on microplastics, biochar-based treatments are also being explored for removing microplastics from water. The review highlights that improving these affordable filtration materials could help reduce human exposure to multiple water contaminants, including microplastics.
Abstract In the last decade, biochar application research has emerged as a hot topic in water treatment studies, which made biochar adsorption one of the primary wastewater treatment strategies. This paper presents a global bibliometric analysis of 2673 publications from the Web of Science database, spanning 2011–2022. For a comprehensive understanding of the research status and trends in biochar adsorption for wastewater treatment, the advanced quantitative and visual analysis tools (i.e., CiteSpace and ArcGIS) were employed. The results showed that China emerged as the leading country with the most published articles. The key research area is on the magnetic adsorption of biochar in wastewater. The articles summarized in the review demonstrated unequivocally that biochar can treat a wide range of wastewater even though the adsorption mechanisms of biochar on heavy metals, inorganic salts and organic pollutants in wastewater are not entirely consistent. The review further analyzes the factors affecting the performance of biochar in adsorbing pollutants from wastewater and the improvement measures of biochar functional characteristics, proposing the future research directions focusing on the improvement of the adsorption capacity of biochar products. The information synthesis and discussion would provide valuable insights on the historical, current, and future trends in biochar research, beneficial to solve the practical problems of water pollution and improve the quality of the environment.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Synthesis Methods, Properties, and Modifications of Biochar-Based Materials for Wastewater Treatment: A Review
This review covers biochar-based materials made from agricultural waste and their use in treating contaminated water, including their ability to remove heavy metals, organic pollutants, and emerging contaminants. While not specifically about microplastics, biochar's adsorption properties make it a promising tool for removing microplastics and the chemicals they carry from water. Low-cost water treatment materials like biochar could help reduce human exposure to microplastics, especially in communities that lack advanced treatment infrastructure.
Engineered biochar for simultaneous removal of heavy metals and organic pollutants from wastewater: mechanisms, efficiency, and applications
Despite its title referencing wastewater treatment and biochar, this review paper focuses on using chemically modified charcoal (engineered biochar) to simultaneously remove heavy metals and organic chemical pollutants from water — not microplastic pollution. It examines adsorption mechanisms and remediation performance for metal and organic contaminants, and is not specifically relevant to microplastics or human health impacts of plastic pollution.
Trends in the applications of biochar for the abatement of microplastics in water
This review examines how biochar can be used to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from water, summarizing recent advances in biochar modification strategies that improve adsorption capacity and minimize secondary pollution risks.
Adsorption of Pollutants from Wastewater by Biochar: A Review
This review examines how biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, can be used to remove pollutants including microplastics, heavy metals, and organic chemicals from wastewater. Biochar works by adsorbing contaminants onto its surface, and its effectiveness can be improved through chemical modifications. The technology offers a low-cost, sustainable approach to water treatment that could help reduce microplastic contamination in water supplies.
Biochar-based adsorption technologies for microplastic remediation in aquatic ecosystems
This review examines the use of biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, as a tool for removing microplastics from water. Biochar can effectively adsorb microplastic particles due to its porous structure and surface chemistry, and it can be produced cheaply from agricultural waste. The technology shows promise as an affordable and sustainable approach to reducing microplastic contamination in waterways, though challenges remain in scaling it up for real-world water treatment.