Resource utilization of rice straw to prepare biochar as peroxymonosulfate activator for naphthalene removal: Performances, mechanisms, environmental impact and applicability in groundwater

Jun Bo Zhang; Chaomeng Dai; Zeyu Wang; Xueji You; Yanping Duan; Xiaoying Lai; Rongbing Fu; Yalei Zhang; Maisideke Maimaitijiang; Kah Hon Leong; Yaojen Tu; Zhi Li

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2023.120555

Resource utilization of rice straw to prepare biochar as peroxymonosulfate activator for naphthalene removal: Performances, mechanisms, environmental impact and applicability in groundwater

Water Res. 2023 Oct 1:244:120555. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120555. Epub 2023 Aug 30.

Authors

Jun Bo Zhang¹, Chaomeng Dai², Zeyu Wang¹, Xueji You¹, Yanping Duan³, Xiaoying Lai⁴, Rongbing Fu⁵, Yalei Zhang⁶, Maisideke Maimaitijiang⁷, Kah Hon Leong⁸, Yaojen Tu⁹, Zhi Li¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
² College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China. Electronic address: daichaomeng@tongji.edu.cn.
³ School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234, China. Electronic address: duanyanping@shnu.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
⁵ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
⁷ Xinjiang Water Conservancy Science and Technology Extension Station, Urumqi, 830000, China.
⁸ Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, 31900, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia.
⁹ School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234, China.

PMID: 37666149
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120555

Abstract

Herein, biochar was prepared using rice straw, and it served as the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator to degrade naphthalene (NAP). The results showed that pyrolysis temperature has played an important role in regulating biochar structure and properties. The biochar prepared at 900°C (BC900) had the best activation capacity and could remove NAP in a wide range of initial pH (5-11). In the system of BC900/PMS, multi-reactive species were produced, in which ¹O₂ and electron transfer mainly contributed to NAP degradation. In addition, the interference of complex groundwater components on the NAP removal rate must get attention. Cl^- had a significant promotional effect but risked the formation of chlorinated disinfection by-products. HCO₃^-, CO₃^2-, and humic acid (HA) had an inhibitory effect; surfactants had compatibility problems with the BC900/PMS system, which could lead to unproductive consumption of PMS. Significantly, the BC900/PMS system showed satisfactory remediation performance in spiked natural groundwater and soil, and it could solve the problem of persistent groundwater contamination caused by NAP desorption from the soil. Besides, the degradation pathway of NAP was proposed, and the BC900/PMS system could degrade NAP into low or nontoxic products. These suggest that the BC900/PMS system has promising applications in in-situ groundwater remediation.

Keywords: Biochar; Groundwater remediation; Mechanisms; Naphthalene; Peroxymonosulfate.

MeSH terms

Groundwater*
Naphthalenes
Oryza*
Soil

Substances

biochar
peroxymonosulfate
Soil
naphthalene
Naphthalenes