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A Review On Biochar As An Adsorbent For Pb(Ii) Removal From Water, Pushpita Kumkum, Sandeep Kumar

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Heavy metal contamination in drinking water is a growing concern due to its severe health effects on humans. Among the many metals, lead (Pb), which is a toxic and harmful element, has the most widespread global distribution. Pb pollution is a major problem of water pollution in developing countries and nations. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and plumbing fixtures. Adsorption is the most efficient method for metal removal, and activated carbon has been used widely in many applications as an effective adsorbent, but its high production costs have created the necessity for …

A Study Of Biochar Production Via Continuous Vacuum-Assisted Pyrolysis, Max Wohlgenant

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The present study focuses upon the design, fabrication, and feasibility of the bulk production of scientific biochar for mobile delivery. In the 2022 annual report, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine recommended the integration of mobile, decentralized reactors that employ flexible manufacturing and circular economic principles. Biochar production, involving the thermal degradation of biomass under an inert atmosphere to yield remediation media is an ideal material to satisfy this recommendation. Many potential application sites, such as abandoned mines, are remote and limit the construction of large infrastructure. The continuous vacuum-assisted pyrolysis (CVAP) reactor was designed to: increase biochar …

Turning Dead Leaves Into An Active Multifunctional Material As Evaporator, Photocatalyst, And Bioplastic, Siyuan Fang, Xingyi Lyu, Tian Tong, Aniqa Ibnat Lim, Tao Li, Jiming Bao, Yun Hang Hu

Michigan Tech Publications

Large numbers of leaves fall on the earth each autumn. The current treatments of dead leaves mainly involve completely destroying the biocomponents, which causes considerable energy consumption and environmental issues. It remains a challenge to convert waste leaves into useful materials without breaking down their biocomponents. Here, we turn red maple dead leaves into an active three-component multifunctional material by exploiting the role of whewellite biomineral for binding lignin and cellulose. Owing to its intense optical absorption spanning the full solar spectrum and the heterogeneous architecture for effective charge separation, films of this material show high performance in solar water …

Sustainable Material For Urea Delivery Based On Chitosan Cross-Linked By Glutaraldehyde Saturated Toluene: Characterization And Determination Of The Release Rate Mathematical Model, Jayanudin Jayanudin, Retno S. D. Lestari, Indar Kustiningsih, Dandi Irawanto, Rozak Rozak, Reyonaldo L. A. Wardana, Fakhri Muhammad

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The aims of this study were to characterize the urea-loaded chitosan microspheres and determine the release kinetic constants and diffusion coefficients. An emulsion cross-linking method was used to prepare the urea-loaded chitosan microspheres. Urea was dissolved in a solution of chitosan then put into vegetable oil and stirred to form an emulsion. Glutaraldehyde saturated toluene (GST) was added into the emulsion dropwise while continuously stirring for the solidification process. Chitosan microspheres filled with urea were washed, dried, and then analyzed. Characterization of the urea-loaded chitosan microspheres was conducted using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and particle …

Development Of High-Performance Fiber Cement: A Case Study In The Integration Of Circular Economy In Product Design, Parinya Chakartnarodom, Sarunya Wanpen, Wichit Prakaypan, Edward A. Laitila, Nuntaporn Kongkajun

Michigan Tech Publications

A new fiber cement (FC) is designed with the integration of circular economy (CE) concepts, in particular a product that is recyclable yet maintains performance. The FC samples were prepared from the mixtures of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), sand, and cellulose fibers, and required an inclusion compound (IC) and water. From the heat of hydration tests, the most effective IC, IC1, was prepared from lithium silicate, sodium thiocyanate, alkylbenzene sulfonate, and hydrochloric acid. The FC samples were recycled by crushing and grinding, then used as sand replacement in varying amounts to produce new FC samples. The results from the mechanical …

Investigation Of The Structure, Chemistry And Functional Performance Of Novel Biochars, Julie Elizabeth Muretta

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Biochars are a class of carbonaceous materials possessing high degrees of structural and chemical disorder in both organic and inorganic constituent phases. Despite this disorder, and in some cases because of this disorder, biochars have shown strong performance in adsorbing and even sequestering contaminants from soil, surface water and air. Biochar is the carbonaceous, solid product of heating carbonaceous feedstock in an oxygen-limited environment above 250°C, usually sourced from inexpensive, locally available agricultural and forestry wastes which can otherwise be difficult and expensive to dispose of. Biochar possesses attractive functional properties like high specific surface area, high micropore volume, and …

Copper Nanoparticles In-Situ Anchored On Nitrogen-Doped Carbon For High-Efficiency Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalyst, Hui-Fang Yuan, Yue Zhang, Xing-Wu Zhai, Li-Bing Hu, Gui-Xian Ge, Gang Wang, Feng Yu, Bin Dai

Journal of Electrochemistry

Compared with noble metal platinum (Pt)-based catalysts, inexpensive non-noble metal electrocatalysts have attracted extensive attention for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, chitosan as a kind of biomass resource rich in nitrogen and carbon was used to prepare nitrogen-doped carbon (N-C) and N-C in-situ anchored by copper nanoparticles (Cu/N-C). The as-obtained N-C and Cu/N-C nanoparticles were successfully used as non-noble eletrocatalysts tested for ORR. Compared with the N-C, the Cu/N-C showed the high surface area of 607.3 m 2·g-1 with the mean pore size of 2.5 nm and the pore volume of 0.40 cm3·g-1. The most positive Gibbs free …

Nitrogen-Sulfur Co-Doped Porous Carbon Preparation And Its Application In Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Zhao Gui-Xiang, Hafiz Zaki Ahmed Wail, Zhu Fu-Liang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In recent years, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been considered as a promising candidate for the next generation of energy storage system due to their ultrahigh theoretical capacity (1675 mAh·g-1) and energy density (2600 Wh·kg-1). However, the practical application of Li-S batteries is seriously limited by their insulating nature of sulfur, the shuttle effect of polysulfides (LiPSs), and volume expansion during charging and discharging. To overcome those disadvantages, one of the commonly methods is to infiltrate sulfur into porous conductive carbon framework, such as porous carbon, hollow carbon spheres, graphene, carbon nanotubes and some composites of the above structures to achieve …

Experiment On Activated Carbon Manufactured From Waste Coffee Grounds On The Compressive Strength Of Cement Mortars, Sukjoon Na, Sanghoon Lee, Sungmin Youn

All Engineering Faculty Research

In this paper, we performed an experiment with activated carbon manufactured from waste coffee grounds on the compressive strength of normal cement mortars. The activated carbon reinforcement was manufactured from waste coffee grounds, and the collected coffee grounds were then transformed into activated carbon granules through the physical activation process. The activated carbon/cement composites were prepared by mixing cement with activated carbon granules with the weight fractions of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 5%, and 10% cement. The experimental results show that adding activated carbon up to 1.5 wt% increased the early strength of cement mortars. Furthermore, we found that the composites …

A Foray Into Laboratory Scale Soil Incubations With Corn Stover And High Lignin Fermentation Byproduct, Michelle Wang

ENGS 88 Honors Thesis (AB Students)

As the production of biofuels increases to meet the demands of a growing low carbon economy, questions of sustainability surrounding its feedstock and waste streams have become increasingly relevant. In the biofuel production process, crop residues like corn stover are harvested from the field and converted to biofuels leaving generating a residue called high lignin fermentation byproduct (HLFB). From extensive process modelling in the literature, it is suggested that HLFB should be either combusted to fuel auxiliary conversion processes or returned to the soil in place of the crop residues that were harvested. Currently, there is little literature testing the …

Design Of Hybrid Pah Nanoadsorbents By Surface Functionalization Of Zro2 Nanoparticles With Phosphonic Acids, Nadine Bou Orm, Thomas Grea, Marwa Hamandi, Alexandre Lambert, Florent Lafay, Emmanuelle Vulliet, Stephane Daniele

All Works

This study focuses on the preparation of innovative nanocomposite materials based on surface modification of commercial nano-ZrO2 optimized from Bronsted acid-base surface reactions. This surface modification was carried out by direct grafting of suitable phosphonic acids bearing a vinylic or phenylic substituent in aqueous solution. Different loading quantities of the anchoring organophosphorus compounds were applied for each materials synthesis. The resulting nanohybrids were thoroughly characterized by infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), nitrogen adsorption-desorption (BET), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), demonstrating the reliability and efficient tunability of the surface functionalization based on the starting Zr/P …

Biomass-Derived Electrode Materials And Sustainable Processes For Supercapacitors, Katelyn M. Shell

Theses and Dissertations

Biomass is one of the most abundant natural resources and has been used as a source of energy for thousands of years. Biomass as a precursor for energy storage materials is still relatively novel and faces several obstacles before becoming commonly used in today’s electrical devices. Currently, energy storage devices, such as batteries, capacitors, and supercapacitors, utilize petroleum-derived graphitic carbons for anodes, generating a need for more sustainable materials. Biomass, as a carbon-rich source for electrode materials, presents a viable and economically feasible alternative due to the prevalent lignocellulosic compounds: lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. Preliminary studies on the solid residues …

Direct Carbon Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Jiang Liu, Xiao-Min Yan

Journal of Electrochemistry

Carbon is richly reserved in coal, biomasses, and many other nature resources. It is usually used as an energy source through oxygen oxidation reaction. The oxidation is generally realized through combustion which causes serious air pollution. Besides, the conversion efficiency of generating electricity through the combustion process is limited by Carnot efficiency. A direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell (DC-SOFC) is a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) directly operated with solid carbon as the fuel. It can convert the chemical energy of carbon into electricity with high efficiency. The concentration of produced CO₂ from a DC-SOFC is so high …

Study On Electro-Sorption Of Heavy Metals And Sulfamethoxazole On Activated Carbon Fibers, Wen-Jun Zhao, Bing-Xin Jia, Ya-Nan Zhang, Jiu-Nian Guan, Jiao Qu, Ying Lu

Journal of Electrochemistry

To study the optimal removal condition, adsorption mechanism and comparative analysis of the three typical cationic pollutants, i.e., Zn(II), anionic pollutant Cr(VI) and molecular pollutant sulfamethoxazole (SMX), using self-made upflowed electro-sorption device for adsorptions of above three pollutants by modified activated carbon fiber were researched. The activated carbon fiber (ACF) was modified by hydrochloric acid. The ACF morphology and structure before and after modification were characterized by SEM, BET and FTIR. The characterization results show that the modified ACF had fewer surface impurities than the modified surface and the gully is more obvious, the specific surface area was increased by …

Design Of Efficient Carbon-Based Adsorbents For The Removal Of Organic And Inorganic Water Contaminants, Sayedeh Soroosh Mortazavian Dehkordi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Granular activated carbon (AC) and biochar (BC) are two carbon-based adsorbents commonly used for water and wastewater treatment. However, these adsorbents have drawbacks that suppress their aqueous contaminants removal efficiency. Their major disadvantages are that AC has low selectivity and reusability potential, and BC has a hydrophobic nature.

The scope of this dissertation is to enhance the performance of commonly-used carbon-based adsorbents for the removal of organic and inorganic water contaminants and to understand the interactive mechanism of contaminants’ ions/molecules with adsorbents. Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and trichloroethylene (TCE) are two types of inorganic and organic water contaminants, respectively, which are …

Adsorption Of Heavy Metal Ions By Oil Palm Decanter Cake Activated Carbon, Mohd. Ezreeza Mohamed Yusoff, Juferi Idris, Nahrul Hayawin Zainal, Mohamad Faizal Ibrahim, Suraini Abd-Aziz

Makara Journal of Technology

Adsorption processes are widely used for the removal of heavy metals from waste streams. Oil palm decanter cake (OPDC) is used as a bioadsorbent because of its compositional properties for activated carbon production; moreover, it is a readily available raw material produced in palm oil mills and is thus abundant and cheap. In this study, the OPDC was carbonized at 700 °C and activated using steam at 700 °C to produce oil palm decanter cake activated carbon (AC-OPDC). Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to compare the adsorption capacities of the raw OPDC and the AC-OPDC for heavy metals removal. …

Lignin-Derived Carbon And Nanocomposite Materials For Energy Storage Applications, Wenqi Li

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

With a growing demand for electrical energy storage materials, lignin-derived carbon materials have received increasing attention in recent years. As a highly abundant renewable carbon source, lignin can be converted to a variety of advanced carbon materials with tailorable chemical, structural, mechanical and electrochemical properties through thermochemical conversion (e.g. pyrolysis). However, the non-uniformity in lignin structure, composition, inter-unit linkages and reactivity of diverse lignin sources greatly influence lignin fractionation from plant biomass, the pyrolysis chemistry, and property of the resulting carbon materials.

To introduce a better use of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels and co-products, it is necessary to find novel …

Biomass-Derived Activated Carbons For Electrical Double Layer Supercapacitors: Performance And Stress Effect, Wenxin Cao

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The vigorous development of human civilization has significantly increased the energy consumption in recent years. There is a great need to use renewable energy sources to substitute the depleting traditional fossil fuels, such as crude oil, natural gas and coal. The development of low-cost and high-performance energy storage devices (ESDs) and systems have drawn great attention due to their feasibility as backup power supply and their applications in portable electronics and electric vehicles. Supercapacitors are among the most important ESDs because of their long charging-discharging cycle life, high power capability and a large operating temperature range. In this thesis, high-performance …

Compositional Analysis Of Cerium And Cesium In Rapid Setting Cement As An Immobilization Agent For Nuclear Waste, Riyadh M. Motny

Theses and Dissertations

A feasibility of rapid setting cement (RSC) as an agent of immobilization for certain elements such as fission products or radioactive materials was explored. Cerium (Ce) and cesium (Cs) have been selected as a surrogate for U and/or Pu and fission products, respectively, in this study in three phases. In Phase I, RSC was evaluated for physical properties (e.g., porosity, density, pH values, etc.) using two groups methods—the cement powder at different concentrations of Ce (2 – 10 wt%) with deionized water (DIW) and artificial seawater (ASW). The results showed that the final setting time and compressive strength of RSC …

Linking Lignin Source With Structural And Electrochemical Properties Of Lignin-Derived Carbon Materials, Wenqi Li, Yan Zhang, Lalitendu Das, Yikai Wang, Mi Li, Namal Wanninayake, Yunqiao Pu, Doo Young Kim, Yang-Tse Cheng, Arthur J. Ragauskas, Jian Shi

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Valorization of lignin to high-value chemicals and products along with biofuel production is generally acknowledged as a technology platform that could significantly improve the economic viability of biorefinery operations. With a growing demand for electrical energy storage materials, lignin-derived activated carbon (AC) materials have received increasing attention in recent years. However, there is an apparent gap in our understanding of the impact of the lignin precursors (i.e., lignin structure, composition and inter-unit linkages) on the structural and electrochemical properties of the derived ACs. In the present study, lignin-derived ACs were prepared under identical conditions from two different lignin …

Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon Derived From Bamboo Shoot As Solid Base Catalyst For Knoevenagel Condensation And Transesterification Reactions, Bingbing Mi, Xiufang Chen, Changle Jiang, Jingxin Wang, Xiujuan Chen, Bo Zhang, Xianmiao Liu, Zhijia Liu, Benhua Fei

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Highly porous nitrogen-doped carbons derived from bamboo shoots (BSNCs) were prepared through an in-situ synthesis method. The results showed that BSNCs had a large specific surface area, a relatively high nitrogen content and hierarchically porous structures. The catalytic properties of BSNCs were evaluated based on Knoevenagel condensation and transesterification reactions. Deprotonated BSNC-700 exhibited high efficiency for the model reactions as a solid base catalyst, and the superior sample deprotonated in tBuOK solution with a concentration of 0.1 increased the conversion rate from 16.1% to 76.0% for Knoevenagel condensation. The two reactions proceeded smoothly in the presence of deprotonated BSNC-700. The …

Development And Evaluation Of Post-Production Oxygenation Techniques For The Augmentation Of Biochar, Matthew David Huff

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Biochar is the carbon rich solid by-product of biomass pyrolysis. Interest in biochar can be broken down to several main categories: use as a carbon sequestration agent, use as a medium for the removal via adsorption of unwanted materials in wastewater, and as a soil amendment for the increase of cation exchange capacity (CEC). In order to generate a biochar which is stable enough for carbon sequestration, higher temperature pyrolysis must be used in order to ensure a lower O:C ratio in order to increase the half-life of biochar in soil. This dissertation addresses the evaluation of biochars made from …

Activated Carbon Preparation And Modification For Adsorption, Yuhe Cao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Butanol is considered a promising, infrastructure-compatible biofuel. Butanol has a higher energy content than ethanol and can be used in conventional gas engines without modifications. Unfortunately, the fermentation pathway for butanol production is restricted by its toxicity to the microbial strains used in the process. Butanol is toxic to the microbes, and this can slow fermentation rates and reduce butanol yields. Gas stripping technology can efficiently remove butanol from the fermentation broth as it is produced, thereby decreasing its inhibitory effects. Traditional butanol separation heavily depends on the energy intensive distillation method. One of the main issues in acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation …

Carbon Nanotube Based Groundwater Remediation: The Case Of Trichloroethylene, Kshitij C. Jha, Zhuonan Liu, Hema Vijwani, Mallikarjuna Nadagouda, Sharmila M. Mukhopadhyay, Mesfin Tsige

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Adsorption of chlorinated organic contaminants (COCs) on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been gaining ground as a remedial platform for groundwater treatment. Applications depend on our mechanistic understanding of COC adsorption on CNTs. This paper lays out the nature of competing interactions at play in hybrid, membrane, and pure CNT based systems and presents results with the perspective of existing gaps in design strategies. First, current remediation approaches to trichloroethylene (TCE), the most ubiquitous of the COCs, is presented along with examination of forces contributing to adsorption of analogous contaminants at the molecular level. Second, we present results on TCE adsorption …

Corn Stover Biochar In Gypsum Board: Empirical Analysis Of Thermal Conductivity And Flexural Strength, Albena Yordanova

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Gypsum board, an economical and durable finish material for wall and ceiling construction in the United States and worldwide, is the component with the lowest thermal performance in a typical exterior wall assembly. It also constitutes a substantial portion of construction waste in landfills, potentially creating harmful environmental effects and dangerous gases. To minimize the negative effects of fast growing construction waste of gypsum in landfills and meet higher standards for energy efficiency in construction, there is a need to explore sustainable ways of improving thermal properties of gypsum board and recycling the material. Gypsum can be recycled and used …

Agronomic Benefits Of Durian Shell Biochar, N Prakongkep, R J. Gilkes, W Wiriyakitnateekul

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

This study investigated the chemical properties of durian shell biochar which is used as a soil amendment. It can act as a carbon sink and as a means to improve crop yield. Plant nutrient elements in this biochar are in crystalline minerals located within the complex pore structure therefore biochar production from wastes could be a very good way to reduce demand for fertilizers. XRD and SEM-EDS results demonstrate that the numerous minerals in biochar are highly soluble, such as archerite (KH₂PO₄), chlorocalcite (KCaCl₃), kalicinite (KHCO₃), and sylvite (KCl) with small amounts …

Microwave Absorption Properties Of Tires, Yuzhe Zhang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The waste tire is belonging to insoluble high polymer elastic materials. It takes hundreds of years to resolve the macromolecules of waste tire into the standard which does not pollute the environment. More and more waste tires are air stored which causes space occupation and mosquito-breeding in the places that will spread diseases. The disposal methods include landfill, stockpiles, dumping and incising into particles. However, all these methods are not technically and economically efficient. The trend for the development of waste tire treatment processes is low cost, on-site, and high product recovery at high energy efficiency. In this project, microwave …

Soil Nutrient Availability Properties Of Biochar, Nicole C. Esposito

Master's Theses

Biochar’s high porosity and negative surface charge allows for numerous soil and plant benefits such as increased water retention, high nutrient availability, and plant growth. By analysing biochar’s effect of all of these factors, a system can be put in place in which soils can be remediated with the proper soil amendments. This report discusses and tests the effects of varying rates of biochar on pH levels, cation exchange capacity, and nutrient exchangeability (of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium) in soil. Corn plants were also grown in soils of varying amendment types and analysed for plant growth and germination to …

The Characterization And Comparison Of Biochar Produced From A Decentralized Reactor Using Forced Air And Natural Draft Pyrolysis, Leah Herbert, Ian Hosek, Rishi Kripalani

Materials Engineering

The soil additive properties of biochar have proven both effective and globally beneficial, but depend heavily on feedstock used and process conditions. This study characterizes how forced and natural draft air flows affect the biochar’s soil amendment potential. Biochars manufactured from two pine species of feedstock, in timber and pellet form, were compared against a designer biochar. The designer biochar held the lowest C:N ratio (57.43), followed by the natural draft pellets (199.5), forced air timber (282.5), forced air pellets (422.7), and natural draft timber (503.7). The designer char had the largest cation exchange capacity at 138.5 cmolc/kg; the decentralized …

Population, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

This document is a set of learning materials to support the teaching of population issues particularly related to sustainability in engineering. It is designed for the general engineering or science audience. Its design is based on the framework of the Fink Taxonomy of Significant Learning. The document is a fully-editable set of slides in open source format (pptx) that includes references to targeted learning objectives on each slide and annotations in the notes section of each slide.