Efficacy and cytotoxicity of engineered ferromanganese-bearing sludge-derived biochar for percarbonate-induced phthalate ester degradation

Chang-Mao Hung; Chiu-Wen Chen; Chin-Pao Huang; Mei-Ling Tsai; Chung-Hsin Wu; Yi-Li Lin; Yu-Rong Cheng; Cheng-Di Dong

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126922

Efficacy and cytotoxicity of engineered ferromanganese-bearing sludge-derived biochar for percarbonate-induced phthalate ester degradation

J Hazard Mater. 2022 Jan 15:422:126922. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126922. Epub 2021 Aug 18.

Authors

Chang-Mao Hung¹, Chiu-Wen Chen¹, Chin-Pao Huang², Mei-Ling Tsai³, Chung-Hsin Wu⁴, Yi-Li Lin⁵, Yu-Rong Cheng⁶, Cheng-Di Dong⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
² Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, USA.
³ Department of Seafood Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Fisheries Production and Management, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Electronic address: cddong@nkust.edu.tw.

PMID: 34425433
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126922

Abstract

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are a group of ubiquitous organic environmental contaminants. Engineered ferromanganese-bearing sludge-derived biochar (SDB), synthesized using one-step pyrolysis in the temperature range between 300 and 900 °C, was used to enable Fenton-like processes that decontaminated PAE-laden sediments. SDB was thoroughly characterized using scanning electron microscopyenergy-dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, thermogravimetric analysis, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy coupled with parallel factor analysis. The maximum PAE degradation was remarkable at 90% in 12 h at pH 6.0 in the presence of 1.7 g L^-1 of SDB 900. The highly-effective PAE degradation was mainly attributed to the synergism between FeO_x and MnO_x, which strengthened the activation of percarbonate (PC) via electron transfer, hydroxy addition, and hydrogen abstraction through radical (HO•) and nonradical (¹O₂) oxidation mechanisms, thereby facilitating PAE catalytic degradation over SDB in real sediments, which clearly proved the efficacy of ferromanganese-bearing SDB and PC for the remediation of contaminated sediments. The cytotoxicity exhibited by human skin keratinocyte cells exposure to high SDB concentration (100-400 µg mL^-1) for 24-48 h was low indicating insignificant cellular toxicity and oxidative damages. This study provides a new strategy for freshwater sludge treatment and reutilization, which enables a water-cycle-based circular economy and waste-to-resource recycling.

Keywords: Biochar; Cytotoxicity; Percarbonate; Phthalate esters; Sediments.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Carbonates
Charcoal
Esters*
Humans
Iron
Manganese
Phthalic Acids
Sewage*

Substances

Carbonates
Esters
Phthalic Acids
Sewage
biochar
ferro-manganese alloy
Charcoal
Manganese
phthalic acid
Iron
sodium percarbonate