Decontamination of Wastewater Using Activated Biochar from Agricultural Waste: A Practical Experiment for Environmental Sciences Students

Abstract

Safe and high-quality water is essential from both the health and environmental perspectives. Water quality is so important that the United Nations has included water in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Thus, the adequate control and treatment of water are necessities. These tasks must be performed by a wide variety of professionals, including chemists, technicians, environmental scientists, .... Regarding the last group, one competency that they must develop throughout their university training is the ability to implement an environmental management system. Regarding water management, in addition to its wellknown positive effect on the environment, wastewater treatment allows for the acquisition of water that is suitable for human consumption and use in agriculture. The relevant wastewater treatments are not complex, but they involve the participation of practitioners of several areas of study including engineering, chemistry, microbiology, .... This paper describes a laboratory exercise for students seeking university degrees in environmental sciences that aims to instruct them about wastewater treatment. Specifically, the experiment involves the decontamination of water polluted with the common textile dye methylene blue. The experiment is performed with different samples of activated carbon of agricultural origin (sustainable), and the results are compared with those obtained vs a carbon of petrochemical origin. The characterization of the decontamination process is performed via spectrophotometric measurements of the presence of methylene blue. The results obtained following the use of different quantities of adsorbent material are also compared.

Trendbericht Chemiedidaktik 2021

“…27) Beiträge mit Bezug zu Lebensmitteln wie Olivenöl 30) und Obstsalat 31) bis hin zu einem historischen Blick auf Klebstoffe. 32) Weitere Arbeiten über Experimente gibt es zur Umweltchemie, darunter qualitative und quantitative Bewertung von Biodiesel aus Mikroalgen, 33) Dekontamination von Wasser mit Aktivkohle, 34) chemisch modifiziertes Holz als Baumaterial, 35) Altspeiseöl als Biokraftstoff 36) oder Synthese eines Kraftstoffs aus Pflanzenabfällen 37) . Zu einer Low-Cost-Destillationsapparatur wurde eine optimierte Version publiziert.…”

Synthesis and Application of Cobalt Oxide (Co3O4)-Impregnated Olive Stones Biochar for the Removal of Rifampicin and Tigecycline: Multivariate Controlled Performance

“…Biochar of olive stones (OSBC) either pristine or engineered has recently garnered the attention as an adsorbent for removing aquatic contaminants [ 35 , 36 , 37 ]. Conversion of olive stones into BC-based adsorbent is a sustainable solution for the disposal problems confronted by the well-established olive oil industry, where the total waste generation is nearly 75% of the olive harvest [ 38 ].…”

Increasing Awareness of Materials and the Environment: Hands-On Outreach Activity Presenting Water Purification Materials and Concepts

“…Due to the appeal and scientific relevance of such materials, many similar laboratory experiments have been already performed by involving undergraduate students. − Differently, in our outreach activity, typically performed during science festivals (see Supporting Information), we engage a nonprofessional audience, ranging from motivated children to curious adults. We aim at arousing interest toward the efforts of materials scientists in the development of alternative material formulations that can be regarded as effective, environmentally sustainable, and low-cost solutions for water purification.…”