Synthesis and Application of Granular Activated Carbon from Biomass Waste Materials for Water Treatment: A Review

There is an increased global demand for activated carbon (AC) in application of water treatment and purification. Water pollutants that have exhibited a greater removal efficiency by AC included but not limited to heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, natural organic matter, disinfection by-pro...

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Main Authors: Joseph Jjagwe, Peter Wilberforce Olupot, Emmanuel Menya, Herbert Mpagi Kalibbala
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2021-11-01
Series:Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2369969821000311
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author Joseph Jjagwe
Peter Wilberforce Olupot
Emmanuel Menya
Herbert Mpagi Kalibbala
author_facet Joseph Jjagwe
Peter Wilberforce Olupot
Emmanuel Menya
Herbert Mpagi Kalibbala
author_sort Joseph Jjagwe
collection DOAJ
description There is an increased global demand for activated carbon (AC) in application of water treatment and purification. Water pollutants that have exhibited a greater removal efficiency by AC included but not limited to heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, natural organic matter, disinfection by-products, and microplastics. Granular activated carbon (GAC) is mostly used in aqueous solutions and adsorption columns for water treatment. Commercial AC is not only costly, but also obtained from non-renewable sources. This has prompted the search for alternative renewable materials for AC production. Biomass wastes present a great potential of such materials because of their availability and carbonaceous nature. This in turn can reduce on the adverse environmental effects caused by poor disposal of these wastes. The challenges associated with biomass waste based GAC are their low strength and attrition resistance which make them easily disintegrate under aqueous phase. This paper provides a comprehensive review on recent advances in production of biomass waste based GAC for water treatment and highlights future research directions. Production parameters such as granulation conditions, use of binders, carbonization, activation methods, and their effect on textural properties are discussed. Factors influencing the adsorption capacities of the derived GACs, adsorption models, adsorption mechanisms, and their regeneration potentials are reviewed. The literature reveals that biomass waste materials can produce GAC for use in water treatment with possibilities of being regenerated. Nonetheless, there is a need to explore 1) the effect of preparation pathways on the adsorptive properties of biomass derived GAC, 2) sustainable production of biomass derived GAC based on life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis, and 3) adsorption mechanisms of GAC for removal of contaminants of emerging concerns such as microplastics and unregulated disinfection by-products.
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spelling doaj.art-a62912631ada4b5aa4a326cbf95ffcbe2023-03-24T04:22:37ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts2369-96982021-11-0164292322Synthesis and Application of Granular Activated Carbon from Biomass Waste Materials for Water Treatment: A ReviewJoseph Jjagwe0Peter Wilberforce Olupot1Emmanuel Menya2Herbert Mpagi Kalibbala3Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala-UgandaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala-Uganda; Corresponding author.Department of Biosystems Engineering, Gulu University, P.O. Box 166, Gulu, UgandaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala-UgandaThere is an increased global demand for activated carbon (AC) in application of water treatment and purification. Water pollutants that have exhibited a greater removal efficiency by AC included but not limited to heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, natural organic matter, disinfection by-products, and microplastics. Granular activated carbon (GAC) is mostly used in aqueous solutions and adsorption columns for water treatment. Commercial AC is not only costly, but also obtained from non-renewable sources. This has prompted the search for alternative renewable materials for AC production. Biomass wastes present a great potential of such materials because of their availability and carbonaceous nature. This in turn can reduce on the adverse environmental effects caused by poor disposal of these wastes. The challenges associated with biomass waste based GAC are their low strength and attrition resistance which make them easily disintegrate under aqueous phase. This paper provides a comprehensive review on recent advances in production of biomass waste based GAC for water treatment and highlights future research directions. Production parameters such as granulation conditions, use of binders, carbonization, activation methods, and their effect on textural properties are discussed. Factors influencing the adsorption capacities of the derived GACs, adsorption models, adsorption mechanisms, and their regeneration potentials are reviewed. The literature reveals that biomass waste materials can produce GAC for use in water treatment with possibilities of being regenerated. Nonetheless, there is a need to explore 1) the effect of preparation pathways on the adsorptive properties of biomass derived GAC, 2) sustainable production of biomass derived GAC based on life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis, and 3) adsorption mechanisms of GAC for removal of contaminants of emerging concerns such as microplastics and unregulated disinfection by-products.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2369969821000311Activated carbonBiomass wasteBinderWater treatmentAdsorption mechanismRegeneration
spellingShingle Joseph Jjagwe
Peter Wilberforce Olupot
Emmanuel Menya
Herbert Mpagi Kalibbala
Synthesis and Application of Granular Activated Carbon from Biomass Waste Materials for Water Treatment: A Review
Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts
Activated carbon
Biomass waste
Binder
Water treatment
Adsorption mechanism
Regeneration
title Synthesis and Application of Granular Activated Carbon from Biomass Waste Materials for Water Treatment: A Review
title_full Synthesis and Application of Granular Activated Carbon from Biomass Waste Materials for Water Treatment: A Review
title_fullStr Synthesis and Application of Granular Activated Carbon from Biomass Waste Materials for Water Treatment: A Review
title_full_unstemmed Synthesis and Application of Granular Activated Carbon from Biomass Waste Materials for Water Treatment: A Review
title_short Synthesis and Application of Granular Activated Carbon from Biomass Waste Materials for Water Treatment: A Review
title_sort synthesis and application of granular activated carbon from biomass waste materials for water treatment a review
topic Activated carbon
Biomass waste
Binder
Water treatment
Adsorption mechanism
Regeneration
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2369969821000311
work_keys_str_mv AT josephjjagwe synthesisandapplicationofgranularactivatedcarbonfrombiomasswastematerialsforwatertreatmentareview
AT peterwilberforceolupot synthesisandapplicationofgranularactivatedcarbonfrombiomasswastematerialsforwatertreatmentareview
AT emmanuelmenya synthesisandapplicationofgranularactivatedcarbonfrombiomasswastematerialsforwatertreatmentareview
AT herbertmpagikalibbala synthesisandapplicationofgranularactivatedcarbonfrombiomasswastematerialsforwatertreatmentareview