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Insights into the removal of microplastics from water using biochar in the era of COVID-19: A mini review
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Researchers reviewed how COVID-19 accelerated microplastic pollution through increased use of disposable plastics, and assessed biochar — a carbon-rich material made by heating organic waste — as a promising low-cost adsorbent for removing microplastics from water, especially when combined with other materials.
Microplastics pollution is a modern-day prevalent challenge that poses serious threats to the general wellbeing and sustainability of the planet. Due to their innately persistent nature, extreme durability, and high stability, they exhibit long residence time and could be transferred through the ecological chains. Current days have witnessed an increase in the accumulation of microplastics waste and debris. This is due to the protective measures imposed by governments and the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of the containment and mitigation efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the development of versatile, robust, flexible, and efficient removal systems has become a necessity in order to control microplastics pollution. Herein, we review the repercussions of the pandemic on the state of microplastics contamination, sources and identification methods of microplastics in water, their toxicity and risks on the environment, as well as their degradation and conventional removal methods. This review focuses on adsorption and the use of biochar as one of the emerging adsorbents for the removal of microplastics. The efficiency of adsorption using biochar, mechanisms, and applications are discussed. The review addresses the increased rates of microplastics occurrence especially during the era of COVID-19, which requires more efficient and lower cost removal methods. The major conclusions drawn from this review include emphasizing the significant potential of adsorption processes in the removal of microplastics. Biochar is present among the available and most efficient biomass adsorbents especially when combined with other materials. Composite biochar materials play an important role in enhancing the removal and immobility of microplastics. However, more research is required to investigate this at a larger scale, improve efficiency and immobilization techniques.
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Tiny plastic particles are showing up everywhere in our water, and current treatment plants can only filter out 40-78% of them, meaning the rest ends up in our environment and potentially our bodies. This review paper highlights biochar—a charcoal-like material made from plant waste—as a cheap, eco-friendly filter that can be specially engineered to capture up to 99% of microplastics from water. While promising, scientists still need to standardize these methods and test them at larger scales before this becomes a widespread solution for cleaner drinking water.
Engineered biochar as a powerful tool for microplastics removal from wastewater: a critical review
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Microplastics, tiny plastic particles that can end up in our water and food, are hard to filter out of wastewater, which is a growing concern for both the environment and human health. This review pulls together existing research showing that "engineered biochar" (charcoal-like material made from cheap, natural sources and specially treated to trap more pollutants) works much better than plain charcoal at soaking up microplastics from water. While more research is needed, this suggests an affordable, eco-friendly way to help keep microplastics out of our water supply before they reach us.
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