Effects of functional group loss on biochar activated persulfate in-situ remediation of phenol pollution in groundwater and its countermeasures

Chaomeng Dai; Jun Bo Zhang; Min-Tian Gao; Yalei Zhang; Jixiang Li; Jiajun Hu

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118076

Effects of functional group loss on biochar activated persulfate in-situ remediation of phenol pollution in groundwater and its countermeasures

J Environ Manage. 2023 Sep 1:341:118076. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118076. Epub 2023 May 4.

Authors

Chaomeng Dai¹, Jun Bo Zhang², Min-Tian Gao³, Yalei Zhang⁴, Jixiang Li⁵, Jiajun Hu⁶

Affiliations

¹ College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China. Electronic address: daichaomeng@tongji.edu.cn.
² College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bio-Energy Crops, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China.
³ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bio-Energy Crops, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
⁵ Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China.
⁶ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bio-Energy Crops, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China. Electronic address: hujiajunsu@shu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37148767
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118076

Abstract

Biochar is considered a good activator for use in advanced oxidation technology. However, dissolved solids (DS) released from biochar cause unstable activation efficiency. Biochar prepared from saccharification residue of barley straw (BC-SR) had less DS than that prepared directly from barley straw (BC-O). Moreover, BC-SR had a higher C content, degree of aromatization, and electrical conductivity than BC-O. Although the effects of BC-O and BC-SR on activation of Persulfate (PS) to remove phenol were similar, the activation effect of DS from BC-O was 73% higher than that of DS from BC-SR. Moreover, the activation effect of DS was shown to originate from its functional groups. Importantly, BC-SR had higher activation stability than BC-O owing to the stable graphitized carbon structure of BC-SR. Identification of reactive oxygen species showed that SO₄•^-, •OH, and ¹O₂ were all effective in degradation by BC-SR/PS and BC-O/PS systems, but their relative contributions differed. Furthermore, BC-SR as an activator showed high anti-interference ability in the complex groundwater matrix, indicating it has practical application value. Overall, this study provides novel insight that can facilitate the design and optimization of a green, economical, stable, and efficient biochar-activated PS for groundwater organic pollution remediation.

Keywords: Biochar; Dissolved solids; Functional groups; Persulfate; Stability Behavior.

MeSH terms

Charcoal / chemistry
Oxidation-Reduction
Phenol*
Phenols / analysis
Sulfates / chemistry
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / chemistry

Substances

Phenol
biochar
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Sulfates
Phenols
Charcoal