Functionalized typha biochar for antibiotic removal via low-carbon integrated method: Performance and mechanism analyses

Antibiotic residues in water represent an urgent environmental challenge. To efficiently remove these residues, a low-carbon integrated biochar synthesis method was proposed, and an optimized typha biochar (TBIK) was prepared. Compared with the biochar prepared by a conventional two-step carbonization and activation method (TBTK), the TBIK preparation process reduced energy consumption by 43849.58 J and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 32.80%. TBIK exhibited a large surface area of 1252.40 m2/g and rapidly achieved an equilibrium removal efficiency of 99.95% within 20 min for simulated antibiotics wastewater. Furthermore, TBIK possessed more number of functional groups than TBTK, especially O-H and C-S groups. The adsorption stability and tolerance of TBIK in solutions with different ionic strengths and coexisting anions were examined. Characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) analyses were employed to elucidate the morphology and adsorption mechanism of the adsorbent. The microporous structure and abundance of functional groups are key to the excellent adsorption capabilities of TBIK. Thus, this integrated method for biochar production, optimized for treating antibiotic wastewater, holds significant potential for future applications. A low-carbon integrated biochar synthesis was proposed and the optimized typha biochar (TBIK) was prepared for the urgent problem of antibiotic residues treatment. TBIK showed rapid equilibrium removal efficiency of antibiotics, which is attributed to its microporous features and reserved functional groups. The integrated method for the production of biochar as part of an optimized strategy for antibiotic wastewater treatment has potential in future practice. image