Enhancing Biochar-Based Nonradical Persulfate Activation Using Data-Driven Techniques

Abstract

Converting biomass into biochar (BC) as a functional biocatalyst to accelerate persulfate activation for water remediation has attracted much attention. However, due to the complex structure of BC and the difficulty in identifying the intrinsic active sites, it is essential to understand the link between various properties of BC and the corresponding mechanisms promoting nonradicals. Machine learning (ML) recently demonstrated significant potential for material design and property enhancement to help tackle this problem. Herein, ML techniques were applied to guide the rational design of BC for the targeted acceleration of nonradical pathways. The results showed a high specific surface area, and O% values can significantly enhance nonradical contribution. Furthermore, the two features can be regulated by simultaneously tuning the temperatures and biomass precursors for efficient directed nonradical degradation. Finally, two nonradical-enhanced BCs with different active sites were prepared based on the ML results. This work serves as a proof of concept for applying ML in the synthesis of tailored BC for persulfate activation, thereby revealing the remarkable capability of ML for accelerating bio-based catalyst development.

Tailored a Multiple Tandem Reaction System for Microalga Cascade Utilization

“…The addition of FFA triggered a sharp decrease in the degradation efficiency of TC, revealing that 1 O 2 may play a dominant role in the degradation of TC. However, it has been reported that FFA not only quenched 1 O 2 but also reacted with PMS, leading to misjudgment in the detection of 1 O 2 . The use of β-carotene as a quencher of 1 O 2 can effectively avoid the above-mentioned problem, as β-carotene only quenched 1 O 2 but did not react with PMS .…”

“…However, it has been reported that FFA not only quenched 1 O 2 but also reacted with PMS, leading to misjudgment in the detection of 1 O 2 . 35 The use of β-carotene as a quencher of 1 O 2 can effectively avoid the above-mentioned problem, as β-carotene only quenched 1 O 2 but did not react with PMS. 36 Apparently, βcarotene also exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on the degradation of TC, which further confirmed that 1 O 2 was the primary ROS responsible for the degradation of TC (Figure S24a).…”

A Meta-Analysis to Revisit the Property–Aggregation Relationships of Carbon Nanomaterials: Experimental Observations versus Predictions of the DLVO Theory

“…Data-driven research has received wide attention in the scientific community and has great potential in improving the design of materials. − This study serves as a proof-of-concept for applying a meta-analytical approach to synthesize pre-existing data to determine patterns and make predictions, thereby obtaining a better understanding of the property–aggregation relationships of nanomaterials, which will be required for the development of accurate predictive models to estimate nanomaterial aggregation. This meta-analysis focused on carbon nanomaterials, and future analysis can include more types of nanomaterials (e.g., metal nanoparticles and nanoplastics) to evaluate the generalizability of the findings in this analysis.…”

Distinct Mechanisms on Accelerating Electron Transfer to Facilitate Two-Stage Anaerobic Digestion Modulated by Various Microalgae Biochar

“…Together, the FTIR results of these biochar in Figure 2a show that SBC has more abundant functional groups than CBC. 27 It indicates that a higher degree of aromatic condensation occurs for the CBC biochar. By analyzing the FTIR spectra in Figure 2a, a significant C−H bond at 882 cm −1 , C−O bond at 1080 cm −1 , C=O bond at 1525 cm −1 , O=C=O bond at 2349 cm −1 , and −OH bond at 3428 cm −1 were observed for CBC and SBC.…”