Biochar with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) has received increasing attention as an advanced oxidation process for eliminating diverse contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water. However, comparison under realistic conditions with a well-established quaternary treatment for urban wastewater, namely ozonation, has not been reported in the scientific literature. In this study, iron-modified sewage sludge derived biochar (Fe-SBC) was synthesised and coupled with PMS to evaluate the degradation of three model CECs (carbamazepine, diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole) under dark and sunlight conditions and compared with ozonation. The synthesised Fe-SBC was characterised using several techniques (Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface analysis). Analytical characterization confirmed Fe particle deposition on SBC with reduced surface area (5.2 m2/g) in comparison to pristine SBC (44.5 m2/g). Under sunlight irradiation, the Fe-SBC/PMS slurry batch system degraded 80% of the target CECs within 15 min in demineralized water, while ozonation required 30 min to achieve the same level of degradation. Quenching tests confirmed the domination of HO• species during Fe-SBC/PMS/sunlight process. Column experiments in slurry semi-continuous mode using the Fe-SBC/PMS system (5.0 g/0.5 mM) achieved 80% degradation of the total CECs within 120 min in real wastewater. In contrast, ozonation reached approximately 80% degradation within 90 min, indicating that ozonation exhibited higher efficiency than the Fe-SBC/PMS system in the real water matrix. Due to the potential for CECs degradation, biochar-based treatment processes are worthy of systematic investigation to optimize performance and support circular economy policies (e.g., sewage sludge recovery for biochar production).
Degradation of contaminants of emerging concern in urban wastewater by iron-activated sewage sludge-derived biochar/peroxymonosulfate: A comparison with ozonation process
Adeel, Mister;Cirillo, Claudia;Sarno, Maria;Venditto, Vincenzo;Rizzo, Luigi
2026
Abstract
Biochar with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) has received increasing attention as an advanced oxidation process for eliminating diverse contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water. However, comparison under realistic conditions with a well-established quaternary treatment for urban wastewater, namely ozonation, has not been reported in the scientific literature. In this study, iron-modified sewage sludge derived biochar (Fe-SBC) was synthesised and coupled with PMS to evaluate the degradation of three model CECs (carbamazepine, diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole) under dark and sunlight conditions and compared with ozonation. The synthesised Fe-SBC was characterised using several techniques (Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface analysis). Analytical characterization confirmed Fe particle deposition on SBC with reduced surface area (5.2 m2/g) in comparison to pristine SBC (44.5 m2/g). Under sunlight irradiation, the Fe-SBC/PMS slurry batch system degraded 80% of the target CECs within 15 min in demineralized water, while ozonation required 30 min to achieve the same level of degradation. Quenching tests confirmed the domination of HO• species during Fe-SBC/PMS/sunlight process. Column experiments in slurry semi-continuous mode using the Fe-SBC/PMS system (5.0 g/0.5 mM) achieved 80% degradation of the total CECs within 120 min in real wastewater. In contrast, ozonation reached approximately 80% degradation within 90 min, indicating that ozonation exhibited higher efficiency than the Fe-SBC/PMS system in the real water matrix. Due to the potential for CECs degradation, biochar-based treatment processes are worthy of systematic investigation to optimize performance and support circular economy policies (e.g., sewage sludge recovery for biochar production).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
