Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Low-Cost Biochar Adsorbents for Water Purification Including Microplastics Removal

Researchers tested steam-activated biochar made from pine and spruce bark as low-cost adsorbents for removing pollutants, including microplastics, from stormwater and wastewater. Steam activation at 800 degrees Celsius significantly increased porosity and adsorption capacity compared to unactivated biochar.

2020 Applied Sciences 243 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Bioresource Technology Reports
Article Tier 2

The Removal and Mitigation Effects of Biochar on Microplastics in Water and Soils: Application and Mechanism Analysis

This review examines how biochar can be used to both remove microplastics from water and mitigate their harmful effects in soils. Researchers found that woody biochar was the most effective type for adsorbing microplastics, while also helping to restore soil enzyme activities and microbial communities disrupted by plastic contamination. The study calls for further research into optimizing biochar applications and understanding the long-term environmental implications of biochar-microplastic interactions.

2024 Sustainability 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorptive behavior of micro(nano)plastics through biochar: Co-existence, consequences, and challenges in contaminated ecosystems

This review examines how biochar can adsorb micro- and nanoplastics with over 90% removal efficiency in aqueous systems, while also discussing their combined effects on soil properties, microbial communities, and plant growth.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 138 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Co-Occurring Microplastics and Metals in an Aqueous System by Pristine and Magnetised Larch Biochar

Researchers tested pristine and modified biochar for simultaneous removal of co-occurring microplastics and heavy metals from water, finding that biochar surface modifications improved adsorption of both contaminant classes, offering a promising dual-removal treatment strategy.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 AIP Advances 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Temperature-Dependent Molecular Evolution of Biochar-Derived Dissolved Black Carbon and Its Interaction Mechanism with Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics

Researchers revealed that biochar-derived dissolved black carbon molecules evolve with formation temperature and interact with PVC microplastics through mechanisms involving hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces, affecting microplastic fate in water.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the removal of microplastics from water using biochar in the era of COVID-19: A mini review

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.

2021 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 122 citations
Article Tier 2

Addition of biochar as thin preamble layer into sand filtration columns could improve the microplastics removal from water

Researchers found that adding a thin biochar layer to sand filtration columns greatly improved microplastic removal from water, with biochar produced at higher pyrolysis temperatures performing better due to stronger electrostatic interactions with plastic particles.

2022 Water Research 89 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of micro- and nano-plastics from aqueous matrices using modified biochar – A review of synthesis, applications, interaction, and regeneration

This review examines how modified biochar materials can be used to remove micro- and nanoplastics from water. Researchers found that chemical functionalization and nanoparticle integration of biochar significantly improve its ability to capture plastic particles through mechanisms like electrostatic interaction and physical adsorption. The study also highlights challenges in regenerating used biochar for sustainable reuse in water treatment applications.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Adsorption Effect of Biochar on Microplastic Pollutants in Soil

This study reviews how biochar can adsorb and remove microplastics from contaminated soil through physical and chemical mechanisms. Researchers found that biochar's high surface area and functional groups are key factors in its microplastic adsorption capacity, and that acidic soil conditions improve removal efficiency. The findings suggest biochar application could be a practical approach for addressing microplastic pollution in agricultural soils.

2025 Science and Technology of Engineering Chemistry and Environmental Protection 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Scavenging microplastics and heavy metals from water using jujube waste-derived biochar in fixed-bed column trials

Researchers found that biochar derived from jujube waste effectively removed over 99% of nylon and polyethylene microplastics from water in fixed-bed column trials, while also demonstrating capacity for heavy metal removal at optimal neutral pH.

2023 Environmental Pollution 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Hierarchically porous and anisotropic biochar from fast-growing balsa and paulownia woods for effective microplastic removal

Scientists converted fast-growing balsa and paulownia wood into a specially structured biochar — a carbon-rich material made by heating plant matter without oxygen — that demonstrated exceptional ability to capture polystyrene microplastics from water, achieving an adsorption capacity of 533 mg per gram while retaining 88% efficiency after 30 reuse cycles. The material also performed well on actual fragments from plastic bags and tea bags, and worked across a wide range of water types. Biochar made from abundant, fast-growing wood offers a scalable, sustainable, and recyclable option for microplastic removal in water treatment.

2026 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Enhanced removal of PVC nanoplastics from water using microwave-activated palm frond biochar

Researchers developed a low-cost sorbent from palm-frond agricultural waste by microwave activation and NaOH treatment, and further produced a magnetically retrievable composite for enhanced removal of PVC nanoplastics from water. The modified palm-frond biochar demonstrated substantially improved nanoplastic adsorption capacity compared to unmodified biochar, offering a sustainable remediation material derived from agricultural waste.

2025 International journal of aquatic biology
Article Tier 2

Upgrading biochar via co-pyrolyzation of agricultural biomass and polyethylene terephthalate wastes

PET plastic bottles were co-processed with rice straw at high temperatures to create biochar that can effectively absorb multiple types of pollutants from water. This study demonstrates a way to repurpose plastic waste while also creating a useful tool for environmental remediation.

2019 RSC Advances 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into microplastics (MPs) removal using aquatic plant-derived biochar from Taihu Lake at varying carbonization temperatures

Researchers tested biochar made from an aquatic plant harvested from China's Taihu Lake as a tool for removing microplastics from water. The study found that biochar produced at 500 degrees Celsius worked best, with strong adsorption capacity driven by surface interactions, offering a way to address both invasive plant overgrowth and microplastic pollution simultaneously.

2024 Process Safety and Environmental Protection 29 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 218 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from aqueous media using activated jute stick charcoal

Researchers developed an eco-friendly method for removing microplastics from water using activated charcoal made from jute sticks. The material achieved over 94 percent removal efficiency for PVC microplastics under optimized conditions, driven by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The study introduces a low-cost, sustainable adsorbent that could be practical for water treatment in regions where jute is abundantly available.

2024 Heliyon 20 citations
Article Tier 2

The Use of Biochar for Removal of Emerging Contaminants in Contaminated Water

This literature review examined 15 studies on biochar for removing emerging contaminants from water and effluents, finding that biochar made from waste raw materials is a low-cost, efficient, and scalable adsorbent for various pollutants. The review is relevant to microplastic research as biochar has potential as a treatment material for water contaminated with emerging contaminants co-occurring with microplastics.

2023 Journal of Interdisciplinary Debates
Article Tier 2

Current progress in sorptive eradication of microplastics from aqueous media: a review

This review summarized sources of microplastics and their health effects, and evaluated various sorbent materials—including biochar, activated carbon, and nanomaterials—used to remove MPs from water under different pH, temperature, and concentration conditions.

2025 New Journal of Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Insights into the removal of polystyrene nanoplastics using the contaminated corncob-derived mesoporous biochar from mining area

Researchers developed a mesoporous biochar from contaminated corncobs collected in mining areas that effectively adsorbs polystyrene nanoplastics from water, achieving high removal capacity through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 123 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into enhancing microplastics adsorption of sludge-based biochar by APTES grafting: Combining individual binding and aggregation confinement

Sludge-based biochar was found to enhance the adsorption capacity for microplastics when its surface was optimized through activation treatments, improving removal efficiency in water treatment. The research supports using biochar derived from wastewater byproducts as a circular solution for capturing microplastics.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in biochar-mediated mitigation of microplastics: A comprehensive review on removal mechanisms, toxicity alleviation strategies, and synergistic environmental impacts

Researchers comprehensively reviewed recent advances in using biochar to mitigate microplastic pollution, including removal mechanisms, toxicity alleviation strategies, and synergistic environmental impacts. The study found that biochar is a promising candidate for microplastic removal and toxicity reduction due to its high specific surface area and adsorptive properties.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Biochar applications in microplastic and nanoplastic removal: mechanisms and integrated approaches

This review explores how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can be used to filter microplastics and nanoplastics out of water. Researchers found that biochar works through several mechanisms and becomes even more effective when combined with other water treatment technologies. The study suggests biochar-based approaches could be a practical, low-cost strategy for tackling plastic pollution in water systems.

2024 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 13 citations