Biochar Applications for Wastewater Treatment

Daniel C.W. Tsang is Pao Yue-Kong Chair Professor in State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization at Zhejiang University. Dan strives to develop low-carbon engineering solutions to ensure sustainable urban development and attain carbon neutrality. Dan has published over 500+ articles in top 10% journal (h-index 109, Scopus). Dan was selected as Highly Cited Researchers 2022 in the academic fields of Engineering as well as Environment and Ecology. Yuqing Sun is an Assistant Professor in the School of Agriculture at Sun Yat-Sen University. Her research covers the customized design and application of engineered biochar in green and sustainable wastewater treatment. Dr. Sun has published 50+ publications in top 10% journals (h-index 38, Scopus). Dr. Sun was selected as Highly Cited Researchers 2022 in the academic field of Cross Field.

• Editors Biography xiList of Contributors xiiiPreface xv1 Engineered Biochar 1Yuqing Sun and Daniel C.W. Tsang1.1 Overview of Biochar Production 21.2 Biochar Properties and Characterization 41.3 Pre- and Post-Modification of Biochar 91.3.1 Physical Modification 101.3.2 Chemical Modification 141.3.3 Biochar Composites 161.4 Sustainability Considerations 242 Adsorption of Nutrients 29Yuqing Sun and Daniel C.W. Tsang2.1 Nutrients in Wastewater 292.2 Biochar Performance in Nutrients Removal from Wastewater 312.2.1 Removal of Ammonium Using Modified and Pristine Biochars 312.2.2 Removal of Nitrate Using Pristine and Modified Biochars 322.2.3 Removal of Phosphate Using Pristine and Modified Biochars 332.3 Biochar Mechanisms of Nutrients Removal from Wastewater 342.3.1 Specific Surface Area 342.3.2 Ion Exchange 342.3.3 Surface Functional Groups 342.3.4 Precipitation 352.4 Factors Influencing Biochar Performance in Nutrients Removal 352.4.1 Pyrolysis Temperature 352.4.2 Metallic Oxides on Biochar 362.4.3 Solution pH 362.4.4 Contact Time 362.4.5 Ambient Temperature 372.4.6 Coexisting Ions 372.5 Nutrients Desorption from Biochar 382.5.1 Ammonium Desorption 382.5.2 Nitrate Desorption 382.5.3 Phosphorous Desorption 392.6 Nutrient-loaded Biochar as Potential Nutrient Suppliers 393 Adsorption of Metals/Metalloids 41Yuqing Sun and Daniel C.W. Tsang3.1 Metals/Metalloids in Wastewater 423.2 Mechanisms of Biochar for Adsorption of Metals/Metalloids 433.2.1 Physical Adsorption 433.2.2 Electrostatic Interaction 443.2.3 Ion Exchange 453.2.4 Surface Complexation 453.2.5 Precipitation 453.2.6 Reduction 463.3 Modified Biochar for Adsorption of Metals/Metalloids 463.3.1 Biochar/Layered Double Hydroxide Composites 463.3.2 Magnetic Biochar Composites 473.3.3 Biochar-Supported nZVI Composites 483.3.4 Comparison of Different Modification Methods for Metals/Metalloids 493.4 Biochar Recycling after Adsorption of Metals/Metalloids 514 Adsorption of PPCPs 53Yuqing Sun and Daniel C.W. Tsang4.1 PPCPs in Wastewater 544.2 Biochar Mechanisms for PPCPs Adsorption 554.2.1 π-π Interaction 554.2.2 Hydrogen Bonding 564.2.3 Electrostatic Interaction 564.2.4 Other Mechanisms 564.3 Factors Affecting PPCPs Adsorption by Biochar 574.3.1 Pyrolysis Temperature 574.3.2 Biochar Surface Modification 574.3.3 Properties of PPCPs 584.3.4 Environmental pH 594.3.5 Wastewater Composition 595 Stormwater Biofiltration Media 61Jingyi Gao, Yuqing Sun, and Daniel C.W. Tsang5.1 Introduction 625.2 Common Pollutants in Stormwater 645.3 Biochar for Biofiltration Media 665.3.1 Production of Biochar 665.3.2 Physicochemical Properties of Biochar 675.4 Removal of Pollutants in Biochar-Based Biofiltration Systems 675.4.1 Metals/Metalloids 675.4.2 Nutrient 705.4.3 Organic Chemicals 725.5 Microplastic in Urban Runoff 755.6 Challenge and Perspective 765.7 Conclusion 786 Biochar Solution for Anaerobic Digestion 89Yanfei Tang, Wenjing Tian, and Daniel C.W. Tsang6.1 Introduction 896.2 Application of BC as an Additive in Anaerobic Digestion 906.2.1 pH Buffering 906.2.2 Adsorption of Inhibitors 916.2.3 Effects on Microbial Growth and Activities 926.3 Effects of BC on Digestate Quality 996.4 Conclusions and Perspectives 1007 Biochar-Assisted Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation 105Wenjing Tian, Yanfei Tang, Dongdong Ge, and Daniel C.W. Tsang7.1 Overview of Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation 1057.1.1 Introduction 1057.1.2 Constraints 1077.2 Roles of Biochar in Promoting Anammox 1087.2.1 pH and Inhibitor Buffer 1117.2.2 Electron Transfer Promotion 1127.2.3 Microbial Immobilization 1137.3 Future Perspectives 1148 Application of Biochar for Sludge Dewatering 121Dongdong Ge, Nanwen Zhu, Mingjing He, and Daniel C.W. Tsang8.1 Introduction 1218.2 Preparation of Biochar-Based Sludge Conditioner 1238.3 Efficacy of Biochar Conditioning on Enhanced Sludge Dewaterability 1268.4 Variations of Sludge Physicochemical Characteristics via Biochar Conditioning 1278.5 Technical Mechanism and Implementation Prospects 1289 Effects of Biochar on Sludge Composting 137Dong Li, Dongdong Ge, Yuqing Sun, and Daniel C.W. Tsang9.1 Introduction 1389.2 Effects of Biochar Addition on Sludge Composting 1419.2.1 Effects on Compost Parameters Effect on C/N 1419.2.2 Effects on Heavy Metals 1429.2.3 Effects on Organic Matters 1429.2.4 Effects on Gaseous Emissions 1439.2.5 Effects on Microbial Community and Activities 1459.2.6 Effects on Quality of Sludge Compost 1459.3 Future Perspectives 1469.4 Summary 14710 Sludge Utilization as Biochar for Nutrient Recovery 155Deng Pan, Dongdong Ge, and Daniel C.W. Tsang10.1 Sewage Sludge (SS) Management 15510.2 Importance of Sludge as a Feedstock for Biochar 15610.3 Factors Affecting the Properties of SDBC 15610.3.1 Raw Material 15910.3.2 Temperature 15910.3.3 Heating Rates 15910.3.4 Retention Time 16010.4 Nutrients in SDBC 16010.4.1 Nitrogen (N) 16010.4.2 Phosphorus (P) 16110.4.3 Potassium (K) 16110.5 SDBC for Soil Amendment and Nutrient Utilization 16110.6 Current Challenges for SDBC 16310.7 Conclusions 16411 Biochar for Electrochemical Treatment of Wastewater 171Dong Li, Yang Zheng, Yuqing Sun, and Daniel C.W. Tsang11.1 Introduction 17211.2 Different Electrochemical Behavior of Biochar 17311.2.1 Electron Exchange 17311.2.2 Electron Donor or Acceptor 17411.2.3 Electrosorption Capacity 17411.3 Preparation of Biochar Electrode Materials 17711.3.1 Carbonization 17711.3.2 Activation 17811.3.3 Template 17911.3.4 Composite Materials 18011.4 Application in Electrochemical Wastewater Treatment 18111.4.1 Electrochemical Oxidation 18111.4.2 Electrochemical Deposition 18211.4.3 Electro-adsorption 18211.4.4 Electrochemical Disinfection 18311.5 Future Perspectives 18311.6 Summary 18412 Peroxide-Based Biochar-Assisted Advanced Oxidation 193Yang Cao, Qiaozhi Zhang, Yuqing Sun, and Daniel C.W. Tsang12.1 Introduction 19312.2 Biochar-Based Catalysts 19512.2.1 Pristine Biochar 19612.2.2 Redox Metal-Loaded Biochar 19712.2.3 Heteroatom-Doped Biochar 19812.3 Peroxide-Based Advanced Oxidation 19912.3.1 Fenton-Like System 19912.3.2 Persulfate Activation System 20112.3.3 Photocatalytic System 20312.4 Conclusion and Future Perspectives 20413 Persulfate-Based Biochar-Assisted Advanced Oxidation 213Mengdi Zhao, Zibo Xu, and Daniel C.W. Tsang13.1 Introduction 21313.2 Activation Pathway and Reaction Mechanism of Persulfate by Biochar 21413.2.1 Distinction between Different Pathways 21413.2.2 Properties Necessitating the Generation of Radicals with PS 21513.2.3 Nonradical Degradation with Biochar 21513.2.4 Modifying Biochar for Enhanced Properties Related to the Degradation Process 21613.3 Metal-Biochar Composites in Persulfate Activation System 21713.3.1 Iron-Biochar 21813.3.2 Copper-biochar 21913.3.3 Cobalt Biochar 21913.3.4 Biochar of Other Metal and Mixed Metal 22013.4 Heteroatom-Doped Biochar for PS Activation 22013.4.1 Nitrogen-doped Biochar 22113.4.2 Sulfur-Doped Biochar 22213.5 Conclusion and Perspectives 22214 Biochar-Enhanced Ozonation for Sewage Treatment 229Dongdong Ge, Nanwen Zhu, Mingjing He, and Daniel C.W. Tsang14.1 Introduction 22914.2 Preparation of Biochar-Based Catalyst for Ozonation 23014.3 Efficacy of Biochar-Catalytic Ozonation on Sewage Treatment 23214.4 Effects of Process Conditions on Biochar-Enhanced Ozonation Sewage Treatment 23314.5 Technical Mechanism and Implementation Prospects 23515 Biochar-Supported Odor Control 243Jingyi Gao, Zibo Xu, and Daniel C.W. Tsang15.1 Causes and Treatment of Odor 24415.2 Odor Pollutants 24515.3 Properties of Biochar for the Removal of Odor Pollutants 24715.3.1 Surface Area and Total Pore Volume 24915.3.2 Pore Size Distribution 25015.3.3 Chemical Functional Group 25215.3.4 Noncarbonized Organic Matter 25315.3.5 Mineral constituents 25315.4 Application of Biochar in Odor Control 25415.4.1 Biochar as Adsorbent 25415.4.2 Biochar as Additives 25615.5 Conclusion and Perspective 26016 Fate, Transport, and Impact of Biochar in the Environment 273Deng Pan, Yuqing Sun, and Daniel C.W. Tsang16.1 Transport Mechanism of Biochar in the Environment 27416.2 Stability of Biochar 27516.2.1 Physical Degradation of Biochar 27516.2.2 Chemical Decomposition of Biochar 27516.2.3 Microbial Decomposition of Biochar 27616.3 Contaminants in Biochar and the Environmental Impact 27716.3.1 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) 27816.3.2 Heavy Metals (HMs) 27916.3.3 Persistent Free Radicals (PFRs) 28016.3.4 Dioxins 28116.3.5 Metal Cyanide (MCN) 28116.3.6 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) 28217 Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Biochar Application in Wastewater and Sludge Treatment 289Claudia Labianca, Sabino De Gisi, Michele Notarnicola, Xiaohong Zhu, and Daniel C.W. Tsang17.1 Introduction 28917.2 Environmental Evaluation 29117.2.1 LCA Insights into Biochar Production and Applications 29117.2.2 Main LCA Literature Studies of Biochar Applications in Wastewater and Sludge Treatments 29517.3 Technical, Economic, and Sustainability Considerations 29917.4 Future Trends 30117.5 Conclusions 302Index 309