Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Efficient tetracycline hydrochloride degradation via peroxymonosulfate activation by N doped coagulated sludge based biochar: Insights on the nonradical pathway

Researchers found a way to repurpose waste sludge from microplastic removal processes by converting it into a nitrogen-doped carbon material that can break down the antibiotic tetracycline in water. The recycled material performed well across a wide pH range and worked primarily through a nonradical pathway to degrade the antibiotic. The study offers a dual benefit approach that addresses both microplastic waste management and antibiotic contamination in water systems.

2024 Environmental Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Removing Norfloxacin from Aqueous Solutions Using Biochar Derived from Waste Disposable Bamboo Chopsticks

Researchers created biochar from waste disposable bamboo chopsticks and tested its ability to remove the antibiotic norfloxacin from water. The bamboo-derived biochar achieved a removal rate of nearly 100% and outperformed biochar made from seven other biomass materials under the same conditions. The study demonstrates that repurposing common waste materials into biochar could be an effective and sustainable approach for treating antibiotic-contaminated water.

2023 Water 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in biochar technology for aquatic pollution control: a critical review of applications, barriers, and future opportunities

Researchers reviewed two decades of research on biochar — a charcoal-like material made from organic waste — as a low-cost tool for removing pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, microplastics, and nutrients from water, achieving up to 80% pollutant removal. While promising, challenges in regeneration and scaling up production remain barriers to widespread use.

2025 Discover Sustainability 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Highly Efficient Adsorption of Norfloxacin by Low-Cost Biochar: Performance, Mechanisms, and Machine Learning-Assisted Understanding

Researchers produced biochar from medicinal plant residue using potassium carbonate activation and demonstrated its effectiveness in removing the antibiotic norfloxacin from wastewater. The biochar achieved a high surface area and strong adsorption performance through multiple binding mechanisms including hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. The study also employed machine learning to predict adsorption outcomes, offering a cost-effective approach to treating pharmaceutical contamination in water.

2024 ACS Omega 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Decontamination of levofloxacin from water using a novel chitosan–walnut shells composite: linear, nonlinear, and optimization modeling

Researchers created a composite material from chitosan and walnut shells that can remove up to 94% of levofloxacin — a common antibiotic — from contaminated water, offering a low-cost, reusable approach to filtering pharmaceutical pollutants from water supplies.

2023 Applied Water Science 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of norfloxacin transformation by horseradish peroxidase and various redox mediated by humic acid and microplastics

Researchers explored how the enzyme horseradish peroxidase combined with natural redox mediators can transform the antibiotic norfloxacin in water, with microplastics and humic acid affecting the process. Certain plant-derived compounds enhanced antibiotic breakdown while microplastics slightly inhibited the reaction. This has implications for removing pharmaceutical pollutants from wastewater.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of emerging pollutants from water using enzyme-immobilized activated carbon from coconut shell

Researchers developed an enzyme-based system using activated carbon from coconut shells to remove pharmaceutical pollutants from water. By immobilizing the enzyme laccase onto the carbon, they created a material that could break down antibiotics and other drugs more effectively than the carbon alone. The approach offers a sustainable, low-cost method for treating water contaminated with emerging pharmaceutical pollutants.

2023 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient Removal of Tetracycline from Water by One-Step Pyrolytic Porous Biochar Derived from Antibiotic Fermentation Residue

Researchers developed a one-step pyrolytic porous biochar material for efficient tetracycline removal from water, achieving high adsorption capacity and demonstrating the potential of waste-derived biochar as a low-cost water treatment adsorbent.

2024 Nanomaterials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Peroxymonosulfate activation by microplastics coagulated sludge-derived iron-carbon composite for effective degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride: Performance and mechanism

This study used a one-step pyrolysis method to convert microplastic-containing coagulated sewage sludge into an iron-carbon composite, which was then used to activate peroxymonosulfate for degrading tetracycline hydrochloride. The approach simultaneously addressed microplastic waste disposal and antibiotic contamination removal.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging contaminants in polluted waters: Harnessing Biochar's potential for effective treatment

This review explores how biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, can be used to remove a wide range of pollutants from contaminated water, including microplastics, heavy metals, antibiotics, and PFAS. Biochar works through multiple mechanisms like adsorption, electrostatic interactions, and chemical bonding, and can be enhanced through surface modifications. The study highlights biochar as a low-cost, adaptable tool for addressing emerging water contaminants.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Green synthesis of iron (III) oxide (Fe3O4) Nanoparticles Using Citrus sinensis Peel Extract for the Removal of Ciprofloxacin in Water

Researchers created iron oxide nanoparticles using orange peel extract and tested their ability to remove the antibiotic ciprofloxacin from water. The study suggests this green synthesis approach achieved up to 97% removal efficiency, offering a low-cost, eco-friendly method for cleaning antibiotic contamination from water sources.

2024 Journal of applied science and environmental management 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced adsorption and co-adsorption of heavy metals using highly hydrophilicity amine-functionalized magnetic hydrochar supported MIL-53(Fe)-NH2: performance, kinetics and mechanism studies

Researchers developed a composite material made from invasive plant-derived carbon combined with a metal-organic framework to simultaneously remove multiple heavy metals from water. The approach addresses co-contamination of aquatic environments where heavy metals and microplastics often occur together.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Synergistic mechanisms for the superior sorptive removal of aquatic pollutants via functionalized biochar-clay composite

Researchers developed a functionalized algal biochar-clay composite that achieved synergistic removal of antibiotics and dyes from water, with a thirty-fold increase in surface area compared to raw biochar, demonstrating effectiveness in both batch and continuous flow systems.

2023 Bioresource Technology 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Microporous carbon derived from waste plastics for efficient adsorption of tetracycline: Adsorption mechanism and application potentials

Scientists converted waste PET plastic bottles into a porous carbon material that can remove 100% of the antibiotic tetracycline from water. The material worked effectively across a wide range of water conditions and could be reused multiple times. This approach offers a double benefit: it repurposes plastic waste that would otherwise become microplastic pollution while also cleaning antibiotics from water, addressing two environmental threats at once.

2025 Environmental Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient removal of nanoplastics by iron-modified biochar: Understanding the removal mechanisms

Researchers created iron-modified biochar from green algae waste to remove nanoplastics from water. The modified biochar achieved a removal capacity three times higher than unmodified biochar, reaching up to 1,626 milligrams per gram, through a two-phase process of adsorption followed by aggregation. The study suggests this material could be recycled and reused at least three times, offering a practical approach to nanoplastic remediation.

2024 Environmental Pollution 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Z-Type Heterojunction MnO2@g-C3N4 Photocatalyst-Activated Peroxymonosulfate for the Removal of Tetracycline Hydrochloride in Water

Researchers developed an advanced photocatalyst that degrades nearly 97% of tetracycline, a common antibiotic pollutant, in water within 180 minutes using light-activated chemical reactions. The system showed good stability for reuse and reduced the toxicity of breakdown products. While focused on antibiotic removal rather than microplastics, this water treatment technology is relevant because microplastics often carry adsorbed antibiotics, and removing both contaminants is important for safe drinking water.

2024 Toxics 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Clean water production from plastic and heavy metal contaminated waters using redox-sensitive iron nanoparticle-loaded biochar

Researchers developed a biochar material loaded with iron nanoparticles that can simultaneously remove nanoplastics and heavy metal ions from contaminated water. The material achieved over 90 percent removal across a range of water conditions and worked effectively in both batch and continuous-flow tests. The study presents a practical, low-cost approach for cleaning up water polluted with both plastic particles and toxic metals.

2023 Environmental Research 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Antibiotics by Biochars: A Critical Review

This review analyzes how biochars, which are carbon-rich materials made from organic waste, can remove antibiotics from water. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because both antibiotics and microplastics are emerging water contaminants, and microplastics can carry antibiotic residues that promote drug-resistant bacteria. Better water treatment methods that address multiple contaminants could help reduce human exposure to both pollutants.

2023 Applied Sciences 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Fe-Modified Sewage Sludge Biochar for Efficient Removal of Nanoplastics from Water: Mechanistic Insights and Multi-Pathway Adsorption Analysis

Scientists developed a new water filter material made from sewage sludge and iron that can remove 96% of tiny plastic particles (called nanoplastics) from water. These microscopic plastic bits are found everywhere in our water supply and may pose health risks, but this new filter works much better than existing methods. This research could lead to better ways to clean nanoplastics from our drinking water while also recycling waste materials.

2026 Molecules
Article Tier 2

Water hyacinth-inspired self-floating photocatalytic system for efficient and sustainable water purification

Researchers developed a floating water purification device inspired by the water hyacinth plant, combining a buoyant porous structure with a light-activated photocatalyst to break down pollutants. The device effectively degraded various contaminants including dyes, antibiotics, and microplastics using only sunlight, while remaining stable in both still and flowing water. The study demonstrates a practical, sustainable approach to water cleanup that works without chemicals or external energy sources.

2025 npj Clean Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar-facilitated remediation of nanoplastic contaminated water: Effect of pyrolysis temperature induced surface modifications

Researchers synthesized sugarcane bagasse biochar at three pyrolysis temperatures and found that biochar produced at 750°C removed over 99% of nanoplastics from water within 5 minutes, with monolayer sorption kinetics and a capacity of 44.9 mg/g, offering a rapid and efficient agricultural-waste-derived remediation approach.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 227 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid iron redox cycling for nanoplastic and antibiotic electro-Fenton remediation by FeCo alloy on cellulose-derived carbon

Researchers developed an iron-cobalt alloy catalyst supported on biomass-derived carbon that achieves 100% degradation of both nanoplastics and antibiotics in water via the electro-Fenton process, overcoming the slow iron cycling and pH sensitivity that limit conventional iron-based catalysts.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Mitigating combined internalized toxicity of nanoplastics and cadmium in rice through metabolic and biochemical regulations under supply of biochar biofilters derived from Mikania Micrantha

Researchers tested biochar biofilters derived from the invasive plant Mikania micrantha as a tool to reduce the combined toxicity of nanoplastics and cadmium on rice plants. They found that the biochar improved rice biomass by up to 85%, restored chlorophyll levels, and acted as a physical barrier limiting nanoplastic translocation into root cells. The study suggests that biochar from invasive species could serve as a dual-purpose solution, managing invasive plants while protecting crops from emerging pollutant combinations.

2025 Biochar 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Montmorillonite-loaded copper sulfide for the removal of tetracycline hydrochloride from aqueous solutions

Scientists created a new material that can remove tetracycline (a common antibiotic) from water sources like rivers and lakes with nearly 100% effectiveness. This matters because antibiotics in our water supply can harm helpful bacteria in our bodies and contribute to antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" that are harder to treat. The new water-cleaning material could help protect drinking water and reduce health risks from antibiotic pollution.

2026