Comparative assessment of biochars from multiple sources based on persulfate activation capability: Role of iron component in enhancing thermal treatment effect on carbocatalytic performance

Sae In Suh, Heesoo Woo, So Yeon Song, Dongjoo Park, Yong Yoon Ahn, Eunju Kim, Hongshin Lee, Dong Wan Kim, Changha Lee, Yong Sik Ok, Jaesang Lee

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    10 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this study, we explored the correlation between the catalytic activity of UK Biochar Research Center biochars (BCs) and their physicochemical properties, suggesting a potential role of endogenous iron in promoting their persulfate activation capability by heat treatment. A steady improvement in the persulfate activation efficiency with increasing annealing temperature was observed exclusively for iron-containing BCs (e.g., sewage sludge (SS) BCs). Along with increasing the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area, thermal annealing formed carbon-wrapped iron particles on the SS BC surfaces, produced crystalline elemental iron and iron carbides, and caused an sp3-to-sp2 conversion in the carbon phase. Comparing the annealed SS BCs in terms of the open circuit potential shift, electrical conductivity, and thermodynamic binding parameters showed that the heat-initiated modification enhanced the electron transfer-mediating capacity and surface affinity toward persulfate, which led to the beneficial effect of annealing on the carbocatalytic activity of iron-containing BCs for non-radical persulfate activation.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number122647
    JournalApplied Catalysis B: Environmental
    Volume330
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2023 Aug 5

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This study was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean government (grant no. 2021R1A2C2003763 ) and the Korea Ministry of Environment (grant no. RE202201829 ) and Korea Environment Industry and Technology Institute ( KEITI ) through the Developing Innovative Drinking Water and Wastewater Technologies Project ( 2022002710001 ).

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

    Keywords

    • Biochar
    • Carbon-encapsulated iron
    • Non-radical oxidation
    • Persulfate activation
    • Thermal annealing

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Catalysis
    • General Environmental Science
    • Process Chemistry and Technology

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