Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Efficient Pb Removal from Aqueous Solutions using Biochar Beads

Researchers developed alginate-biochar bead composites to improve the removal of lead from water compared to powdered biochar alone. The beads were easier to separate from solution and maintained high removal efficiency. This approach could make biochar-based heavy metal remediation more practical for real-world water treatment applications.

2023 Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Valorization of coconut husk into biochar for lead (Pb 2+ ) adsorption

Researchers produced biochar from coconut husk and tested its effectiveness at adsorbing lead (Pb²⁺) from water, finding it to be a promising low-cost, sustainable material for removing toxic heavy metals from contaminated water sources.

2025 Green Processing and Synthesis
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Lead from Aqueous Solution by Biochar: A Review

This review summarizes research on using biochar, a low-cost carbon material, to adsorb and remove lead from contaminated water. The study covers how different raw materials and modification methods affect biochar's adsorption capacity, along with the main mechanisms by which lead is removed from aqueous solutions.

2022 Clean Technologies 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Spirulina platensis Immobilized Alginate Beads for Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions

Researchers immobilized the blue-green microalga Spirulina platensis in alginate beads and tested its ability to remove lead (Pb(II)) from water, finding that the protein-rich biomass provided effective adsorption sites. The approach offers a bio-based, eco-friendly alternative to conventional heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Pb(II) adsorption by biochar from co-pyrolysis of corn stalks and alkali-fused fly ash

Researchers created a modified biochar — a charcoal-like material made from plant waste — by combining corn stalks with fly ash during heating, and found it absorbed lead from water about 6% more effectively than standard biochar. The added binding sites from the fly ash modification make this a promising low-cost material for removing heavy metal pollution from contaminated water.

2022 Biochar 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancement of Pb(II) Adsorption by Aged Microplastics in the Presence of Microalgae: Kinetic and Mechanistic

Researchers investigated how UV light, potassium permanganate, and sodium hydroxide aging treatments affect lead (Pb(II)) adsorption by PET microplastics, and examined the additional influence of the microalga Microcystis aeruginosa. Aging increased adsorption capacity through greater surface functional groups and porosity, while microalgae further enhanced Pb(II) uptake via extracellular polymeric substances, suggesting that algal presence amplifies microplastics as heavy metal carriers in aquatic environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Enhancement of Pb(II) adsorption by aged polyethylene terephthalate microplastics in the presence of microalgae: kinetic and mechanistic

UV, permanganate, and alkaline aging treatments all increased PET microplastic adsorption capacity for lead, and Microcystis aeruginosa microalgae further enhanced Pb(II) adsorption by coating PET surfaces with organic matter, demonstrating how environmental aging and biofouling amplify MP-metal interactions.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Research advances on production and application of algal biochar in environmental remediation

This review examines how biochar made from algae can be used to clean up environmental pollution, including removing microplastics from water and improving contaminated soil. Algal biochar has shown promise for absorbing heavy metals, organic pollutants, and microplastics, and it can also improve soil health. While more large-scale and long-term studies are needed, algae-based biochar offers a potentially sustainable tool for reducing microplastic contamination in water and soil.

2024 Environmental Pollution 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of CeO2-Reinforcement on Pb Absorption by Coconut Coir-Derived Magnetic Biochar

Researchers prepared cerium oxide-doped magnetic biochar from coconut coir and found it significantly outperformed undoped magnetic biochar for removing lead from contaminated wastewater, with the CeO2 reinforcement providing additional adsorption sites that improved heavy metal uptake.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The remediation potential and kinetics of Pb2+ by the organic frameworks of Cladophora rupestris

This study produced an organic framework from the freshwater alga Cladophora rupestris for adsorbing lead (Pb2+) from water, characterizing its sorption capacity and kinetics. Algae-based biosorption materials offer low-cost, sustainable approaches to removing heavy metals from contaminated water, with relevance to treating co-polluted environments where plastics and metals occur together.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

High-efficient biosorbent of Pb2+ derived from the organic frameworks of Cladophora rupestris

Researchers developed an adsorbent material from the green alga Cladophora rupestris to remove lead from water. The organic framework derived from the alga showed high lead-binding capacity across a range of conditions. Algae-based biosorbents offer a low-cost, renewable alternative to conventional materials for removing toxic heavy metals from contaminated water.

2023
Article Tier 2

Biochar Application for Mitigation of Coastal and Marine Pollution

Researchers investigated biochar as a technology for reducing microplastic contamination in coastal and marine environments, conducting experimental and computational modeling studies to assess the adsorption performance of biochar -- particularly algal waste-derived biochar -- in removing microplastics from wastewater discharge before it reaches marine ecosystems.

2025
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

Functionalized Biochars for Enhanced Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solutions: Mechanism and Future Industrial Prospects

This review examined functionalized biochar materials as adsorbents for removing heavy metals from water, comparing surface modification strategies that enhance metal uptake capacity and selectivity. Functionalized biochars showed substantially improved adsorption performance over unmodified biochar and low-cost conventional materials.

2022 Journal of Human Earth and Future 46 citations
Article Tier 2

AI-guided investigation of biochar’s efficacy in Pb immobilization for remediation of Pb contaminated agricultural land

Researchers evaluated ten types of biochar made from different biomass feedstocks for their ability to immobilize lead in contaminated agricultural soil. They used a machine learning approach to predict long-term immobilization effects and found that oilseed rape straw biochar pyrolyzed at 700 degrees was most effective. The study also accounted for simulated microplastic contamination during long-term incubation, providing a novel framework for predicting biochar performance in real-world remediation scenarios.

2024 Applied Biological Chemistry 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochemical insights into the alleviated inhibition on nitrogen metabolism by micro-and nano-plastics at the biocathode of bioelectrochemical systems

A lab study investigated how microplastics and nanoplastics inhibit nitrogen removal (denitrification) at the biological cathode of a bioelectrochemical treatment system, and found that adding algal biochar largely reversed this inhibition, increasing nitrate removal from 51% to 76%. This is relevant for wastewater treatment, suggesting that biochar amendments could protect microbial treatment processes from the disrupting effects of microplastic contamination in sewage.

2026 Bioresource Technology
Article Tier 2

Insights Into the Adsorption Behavior of Polyethylene Microplastics Towards Lead(II) Ions

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior of lead(II) ions onto polyethylene microplastics in freshwater environments by systematically varying initial Pb(II) concentration, pH, and residence time, using scanning electron microscopy and other characterization methods to elucidate the interaction dynamics and sorption mechanisms between this common metal contaminant and microplastic surfaces.

2024 Environmental Quality Management
Article Tier 2

Label-free impedimetric analysis of microplastics dispersed in aqueous media polluted by Pb2+ ions

Researchers developed a simple electrochemical method to distinguish between clean and lead-contaminated microplastics in water without needing complex laboratory equipment. The technique uses impedance measurements to rapidly detect whether microplastics carry adsorbed heavy metal pollutants. The approach could be useful for quick field assessments of how contaminated microplastics are in environmental water samples.

2024 Analytical Methods 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into catalytic removal and separation of attached metals from natural-aged microplastics by magnetic biochar activating oxidation process

A magnetic biochar material activated persulfate to degrade the organic layer on aged microplastics, releasing bound metals like lead and then re-adsorbing them from solution for magnetic separation. The approach demonstrates a combined oxidation and adsorption strategy for removing hazardous metals associated with microplastics in contaminated water.

2020 Water Research 205 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization and Thermodynamic Studies of Lead (II) and Cadmium (II) Ions Removal from Water Using Musa acuminate Pseudo-Stem Biochar

Researchers used biochar made from banana plant stems to remove lead and cadmium from contaminated water in Uganda, finding it effective at reducing these toxic heavy metals below safe drinking water limits.

2023 Green and Sustainable Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics and metals in biochar beds for stormwater treatment: Effects of prolonged drying and salinity on pollutant mobility

Researchers tested biochar — a charcoal-like material made from organic waste — as a filter for removing microplastics and heavy metals from stormwater runoff, finding it retained up to 99% of microplastics but that prolonged dry periods and high salinity increased the release of metals, highlighting real-world limitations of this promising treatment approach.

2026 Environmental Challenges
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

Remediation of Coastal Wetland Soils Co-Contaminated with Microplastics and Cadmium Using Spartina alterniflora Biochar: Soil Quality, Microbial Communities, and Plant Growth Responses

Researchers tested whether Spartina alterniflora-derived biochar applied at 2% could remediate coastal wetland soils co-contaminated with cadmium and polyethylene or polylactic acid microplastics. Biochar significantly improved soil pH, organic matter, and microbial diversity while reducing cadmium bioavailability and plant uptake, making it a promising amendment for combined metal-plastic contaminated soils.

2025 Agronomy 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring Humic Acid as an Efficient and Selective Adsorbent for Lead Removal in Multi-Metal Coexistence Systems: A Review

This review examines how humic acid, a natural substance found in soil and water, can selectively remove lead from water contaminated with multiple heavy metals. The research explores how to enhance humic acid's ability to capture lead ions specifically, including through chemical activation and pH control. While focused on heavy metals, the work is relevant to microplastics research because microplastics can concentrate and transport lead and other heavy metals, and better lead removal from water could reduce this combined pollution threat.

2024 Separations 18 citations