1.

Biochar-Based Filters: A Frugal Technology for Drinking Water Supply in

Developing Countries?
Willis Gwenzi
Sub-Saharan Africa has not met the United Nations water-related Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) for safe drinking water. This is a pity given water's crucial role in accomplishing the
continent's development goals. It is broadly accepted that Africa faces endemic poverty and
pervasive under-development. It is also almost univocally accepted that all these countries lack the
human, economic (and institutional) capacities to sustainably develop and manage their water
resources. This view is unfortunately believed by some Africans. The question arises why Northern
Africans, Europeans, Americans and other are more skilled than Sub-Saharan Africans? This
contribution demonstrates that African natives are leading in developing two frugal technologies
for safe drinking water, with proven extension capacity to sanitation. If these technologies are
developed hand-in-hand, Africa can achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (ensuring
availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation) within the remaining 13 years.
The first technology used biochar, and the second metallic iron in filtrations systems. Both
technologies have demonstrated strong capacity to remove several aqueous pollutants including
pathogens (e.g., bacteria, viruses), inorganic chemicals (e.g., arsenic, fluoride, nitrate, uranium)
and organics (e.g. pesticides, pharmaceutical drug residues). Both technologies have several merits
compared to existing (conventional) low-cost methods (i.e., sand filtration, boiling, solar
disinfection, chlorination): (1) they rely on locally readily available materials and used local skills,
making it appropriate for small and low-income communities; (2) they remove multiple chemical,
biological and physical contaminants, and (3) they have no known effects adverse effects on the
treated water, unlike existing methods that generate carcinogenic by-products (e.g., chlorination)
and/or increase concentrations of chemical contaminants (e.g., boiling). Additionally, biochar can
generate multiple co-benefits through coupling it to provision of clean energy for household
heating and cooking, and soil application of spent biochar improves soil quality and crop yields.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323337472_Biochar-
Based_Filters_A_Frugal_Technology_for_Drinking_Water_Supply_in_Developing_Countries
 2. Biochar-Based Water Treatment Systems as a Potential Low-cost and Sustainable
Technology for Clean Water Provision
Willis Gwenzi
Approximately 600 million people lack access to safe drinking water, hence achieving Sustainable
Development Goal 6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for
all by 2030) calls for rapid translation of recent research into practical and frugal solutions within
15 years. Biochars, with excellent capacity to remove several contaminants from aqueous
solutions, constitute an untapped technology for drinking water treatment. Biochar water treatment
has several potential merits compared to existing low-cost methods (i.e., sand filtration, boiling,
solar disinfection, chlorination): (1) biochar is a lowcost and renewable adsorbent made using
readily available biomaterials and skills, making it appropriate for poor communities; (2) existing
methods predominantly remove pathogens, but biochars remove chemical, biological and physical
contaminants; (3) biochars maintain organoleptic properties of water, while existing methods
generate carcinogenic by-products (e.g., chlorination) and/or increase concentrations of chemical
contaminants (e.g., boiling). Biochars have co-benefits including provision of clean energy for
household heating and cooking, and soil application of spent biochar improves soil quality and
crop yields. Integrating biochar into the water and sanitation system transforms linear material
flows into looped material cycles, consistent with terra preta sanitation. Lack of design information
on biochar water treatment, and environmental and public health risks constrain the biochar
technology. Seven hypotheses for future research are highlighted under three themes: (1) design
and optimization of biochar water treatment; (2) ecotoxicology and human health risks associated
with contaminant transfer along the biochar-soil-food-human pathway, and (3) life cycle analyses
of carbon and energy footprints of biochar water treatment systems.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315664925_Biochar-
Based_Water_Treatment_Systems_as_a_Potential_Low-
cost_and_Sustainable_Technology_for_Clean_Water_Provision
 3. PROFILE: USING BIOCHAR FOR WATER FILTRATION IN RURAL SOUTH
EAST ASIA
Access to clean water can be a crucial issue for many rural communities in developing countries.
The largest sources of water pollution are from inadequate treatment of human wastes and poorly
managed industrial and agricultural wastes. Specifically, the contamination of water sources by
synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and fuel compounds is
a growing problem worldwide as these chemicals can bio-accumulate in the human body and cause
cancers and other diseases. There are often few low cost, sustainable and appropriate treatment
technologies available for SOC removal in rural areas. Activated carbon (AC) is considered the
best available technology for the removal of SOCs in water in rural areas, however AC
manufacturing processes are sophisticated and usually cannot be replicated in these rural areas
without large infrastructure investments. The Engineering for Developing Communities Program
at the University of Colorado-Boulder (United States) is currently studying low cost approaches
to water treatment using biochar as a surrogate for AC.
Josh Kearns, the director of the biochar research consortium with the University, is producing
biochar with Top-lit Updraft (TLUD) gasifier stoves and small kilns along the Thailand/Burma
border as part of his research. Since 2009, Kearns has been working with water treatment
specialists at the University of Colorado-Boulder to test the effectiveness of chars produced from
traditional village kilns.
Why Use Gasification over Traditional Kilns to Produce Char?
Kearns began work with TLUDs and water filtration in late 2006 while traveling and working with
farm communities in northern Thailand. There he witnessed firsthand the effects of agrichemical-
intensive farming practices on water quality and public health, and the urgent need for sustainable,
affordable, and locally controlled water technologies. This prompted him and local colleagues to
form Aqueous Solutions, a US- and Thailand-based non-profit organization. During his trip in
2006 he also learned the art of traditional charcoal making from village colliers in order to generate
his own representative chars for laboratory study. Firsthand experience making dozens of batches
of charcoal with traditional kilns taught him that it is indeed difficult, dirty, and unpleasant work.
Kearns says he has tremendous empathy for those who have made their living as charcoalers–the
long hours and days tending the burn, while breathing particulate matter and noxious gases. Thus
he is equally as enthusiastic about advancing environmentally sustainable and user-friendly char
production technologies as he is about the potential for chars as low-cost adsorbents in water
treatment.
For water treatment purposes, the best char has substantial micro-porosity and surface area for the
effective uptake and binding of SOCs. In production, the feedstock needs to reach high enough
temperatures (650-950 °C) to remove the naturally occurring tars and oily components of the
biomass while converting the remaining carbon-rich material to a graphite-like structure. Both
traditional kilns and gasifiers (TLUD-type) are able to produce a good product for filtration.
However, with traditional charcoal production so resource-intensive and polluting, Kearns has
been working with gasifiers run on agricultural and forestry residues which emit far less
atmospheric pollution, and are able to use the waste heat for a variety of applications including
cooking and drying crops.
How is Water Filtered with Char?
Char (whether AC or biochar) filters work through the process of adsorption. As a background,
adsorption, is the surface interaction between dissolved materials and the char, and is distinct from
absorption, which means “to soak up” or “to take into.” For water treatment, contaminants diffuse
into char pores (absorption) where they bind to char surfaces (adsorption). As noted, the large
porosity and high surface area of biochars provide many reactive sites for the attachment of
dissolved compounds. These reactive sites can also bind non-problematic dissolved organic matter
present in all natural waters as well as the targeted hazardous contaminants. This organic matter
can clog the char pores and make it less effective; to mitigate this occurrence, a filtration system
uses gravel and sand filters to remove a large portion of the organic matter from the water before
it encounters the char. The idea is to achieve a high level of treatment prior to the char filter, to
“save the carbon” for removing the SOCs.
Biochar filters do differ from Activated Carbon filters in a couple key ways. Local biochar is
ideally made from agricultural and forestry residues and/or sustainably harvested renewable
woody biomass whereas most commercial ACs are made from (nonrenewable) coal. Both local
biochars and ACs undergo a carbonization step where the feedstock is heated to several hundred
degrees C under restricted oxygen. Commercial ACs are subsequently “activated” in an additional
step that requires processing not usually available in rural areas. Compared with AC, locally-
produced biochars may contain substantial proportions of incompletely carbonized tars and oily
compounds (especially if the biochar is produced at a temperature below ~ 600 °C). Local biochars
may also contain a high proportion of ash depending on the feedstock (such as rice hulls). Since
the local biochars are not “activated” and may contain higher proportions of ash or residual tars
and oils, they may not have the same water filtration capacity as commercial ACs, and so the water
filtration design will use a greater amount of biochar as compensation.
Next Steps in the Project
The team has just published a how-to handbook for making enhanced water filter biochar for use
in decentralized, small- and intermediate- scale water treatment systems. They are also producing
a video to accompany the handbook showcasing how to construct and operate a 200 L gasifier for
making water filter biochar. The target audience for the handbook is people with some technical
understanding but mainly practical competence, including WASH development workers, field
engineers, local village technicians, international sustainable development agencies, and NGOs.
Kearns’s idea is that people can read the article, watch the associated video, and make their own
enhanced water filter biochar and incorporate it into a multi-barrier treatment system using widely
available and inexpensive materials.
The team will translate the handbook into several languages and promote the program through the
WASH (water-sanitation-hygiene) development NGO networks and online through open source
technology-focused journals. Says Kearns, “While our laboratory and field research program on
the application of biochars for water treatment is ongoing, the handbook is meant to give rural
sustainable development practitioners in the WASH sector the most up-to-date scientific and
practicable information available to mitigate human health harms from drinking water
contaminated by agrichemicals and other industrial pollutants. The handbook and companion
video are also intended to forward the dialogue within the biochar community regarding efficient,
environmentally friendly, and effective sorbent char production using low-cost technologies – and
invite commentary, feedback, criticism, adaption, improvement and advancement of such
systems.“
https://biochar-international.org/water_filtration/

4. Low-cost Household Biochar Water Filter for Lead Removal

Sadeep Kumar
Description:
Biochar can be a cost effective substitute to activated carbon in lead adsorption because of its
porous structure, irregular surface, high surface to volume ratio and presence of oxygenated
functional group. We propose to design a household water filter that uses biochar as an adsorbent
for removing lead from drinking water. The proposed filter integrates the conventional filter and
adsorption potential of biochar in order to create a system that can eliminate lead from supplied
water. It will significantly decrease the cost for abatement of lead pollution. In addition, the
proposed filter uses only biochar (a renewable material) for filtration and production of biochar is
a relatively simple process. Furthermore, this project will provide a good opportunity for educating
the public, especially school students in local community. We plan to attend and present our results
in the regional science fairs. We specifically target annual Tidewater Science & Engineering Fair,
which welcomes all the K-12 students from within the Hampton Roads area.
Objective:
There are several intellectual merits (based on our several prior published studies) of the proposed
filter. First, the proposed filter reduces the cost and makes it a more effective approach since
biochar is significantly cheaper and has higher cation exchange capacity (CEC) than activated
carbon in lead removal. Second, the proposed filter is an easy-to-use system that works in
residential faucet water flow and requires no professional help for the installation. Third, the
proposed filter is effective in natural water condition and does not require any pH adjustment.
Approach:
Heavy metal contamination in drinking water is a growing concern due to its severe health effect
in humans. Conventional processes like use of activated carbon for the adsorption of metals i. e.,
lead has always been an expensive method which has precluded its ubiquitous use. We propose to
design and develop a low-cost household water filter using biochar to introduce a user-friendly
cost effective system for removing lead from drinking water.
Expected Results:
The expected deliverables of the proposed filter consists of three stages. In stage one, theoretical
investigation will be performed on the proposed filter. The research will focus on breakthrough
point calculation, material selection, product design, and efficiency evaluation. In stage two, the
research team will build a prototype of the filter to evaluate the practical lead removal performance
of the proposed concept. The third stage is to demonstrate the potentiality of the prototype filter
for successful elimination from lead contaminated drinking water.

https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/10860

5. Benefits of Biochar and its Applications for Runoff Water Management

Tapani Nick

According to a Eurobarometer survey carried out in 2012, a majority of citizens in the EU consider
water related problems to be a serious concern, and nearly 75% consider that the EU should
propose additional measures to mitigate water pollution from industry and agriculture [1]. The EU
Water Framework Directive is the operational tool used in order to assess surface water quality in
the EU member states. It defines the criteria for good ecological and biological condition in surface
waters, and continues to have the goal to improve and maintain the quality of surface waters across
Europe [2]. In the year 2013, the Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE, carried out an assessment
on Finnish surface waters according to the EU Water Framework Directive, and found that while
the majority of Finnish lakes and rivers were in good or excellent ecological condition, as much
as 75 % of the coastal seawaters were discovered to be in poorer condition. The main detriment
for coastal surface waters, as well as some smaller lakes in Finland is eutrophication. Over half of
the excess nutrient load (e.g. phosphorous and nitrogen) causing this eutrophication comes from
agriculture. [3] In Finland, the legislation on construction and land use has provisions on runoff
water management. The provisions are stated in the act 682/2014, in chapter 13 a. It is a
requirement for construction projects to have a plan for the management of runoff waters, which
include its infiltration, retention, conduction, sewerage and treatment. One of the goals of the
legislation is to gradually end the conducting of runoff water into the wastewater sewers. [4] In
urban settings, soil sealing creates its own challenges when considering runoff water, especially
during heavy rainfall. Urban runoff water and runoff water from industrial sites can carry many
contaminants, including metals, pathogens, such as E. coli, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Insufficient management of these runoff waters may negatively impact the quality of the receiving
waters, and in some cases even create public health hazards. [5]
https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/141397/Nick_Tapani.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowe
d=y
 6. Evaluation of Biochar as a Potential Filter Media for the Removal of Mixed
Contaminants from Urban Storm Water Runoff
Krishna R. Reddy, F.ASCE; Tao Xie; and Sara Dastgheibi
Abstract
Urban storm water runoff can carry a wide range of contaminants, many of which exceed federal
maximum contaminant levels, into surface water resources (e.g., rivers and lakes). The use of
filtration systems has received greater attention for its potential to remove particulate matter and
other contaminants. Biochar is expected to have excellent potential as an adsorbent or filter given
its large surface area and microporous structure. This study evaluated the potential use of biochar
as a filter media through a series of column experiments. A column with an inner diameter of 7 cm
(2.75 in.) and a length of 61 cm (24 in.) using biochar as filter media was constructed to examine
its effectiveness for the removal of mixed contaminants [total suspended solids (TSS), nutrients,
heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and E. coli] from synthetic storm water.
The results demonstrated that this filter reduced the TSS in the storm water effluent by an average
of 86% and the concentrations of nitrate and phosphate by 86 and 47%, respectively. After
filtration, the concentration of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn (heavy metals) decreased by 18, 19, 65,
75, 17, and 24%, respectively. The variation can be explained in terms of the chemical behavior
of the different heavy metals as well as the properties of the biochar. Among the three PAHs tested,
biochar successfully removed phenanthrene (almost 100% removal efficiency) and achieved 76%
removal efficiency for naphthalene but resulted in no removal of benzo(a)pyrene; the average
removal for the three PAHs was 68%. Biochar was not efficient in removing E. coli from storm
water, and the concentration of almost [Math Processing Error]7,400  MPN/100  mL in the inflow
was reduced to approximately [Math Processing Error]5,000  MPN/100  mL in the outflow,
representing a mean removal efficiency of 27%. Overall, the biochar used in this study showed
promise to be an effective filter media for the removal of selected contaminants from urban storm
water runoff. However, additional research should be conducted using different types of biochars,
produced from different feedstock and production conditions, to determine the most effective
biochar that can simultaneously remove multiple contaminants from urban storm water.
https://ascelibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1061/%28ASCE%29EE.1943-7870.0000872

7. A review of biochar as a low-cost adsorbent for aqueous heavy metal removal

Mandu Inyang
ABSTRACT
As a low-cost adsorbent, biochar can be used as a low-cost adsorbent for wastewater treatment,
particularly with respect to treating heavy metals in wastewater. A number of studies have
demonstrated effective removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions by biochar and, in some
cases, proven the superiority of biochars to activated carbons. Among several factors affecting the
sorption ability of biochars, feedstock materials play a significant role. This review incorporates
existing literature to understand the overall sorption behavior of heavy metals on biochar
adsorbents. Depending on the biochar type, heavy metal can be removed by different mechanisms
such as complexation, physical sorption, precipitation and electrostatic interactions. Mathematical
sorption models can be used to understand the efficiency of biochar at removing heavy metals, and
promote the application of biochar technology in water treatment.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10643389.2015.1096880

8. Biochar and its effects on plant productivity and nutrient cycling: a meta‐analysis
Lori Biederman
Abstract
Biochar is a carbon‐rich coproduct resulting from pyrolyzing biomass. When applied to the soil it
resists decomposition, effectively sequestering the applied carbon and mitigating anthropogenic
CO2 emissions. Other promoted benefits of biochar application to soil include increased plant
productivity and reduced nutrient leaching. However, the effects of biochar are variable and it
remains unclear if recent enthusiasm can be justified. We evaluate ecosystem responses to biochar
application with a meta‐analysis of 371 independent studies culled from 114 published
manuscripts. We find that despite variability introduced by soil and climate, the addition of biochar
to soils resulted, on average, in increased aboveground productivity, crop yield, soil microbial
biomass, rhizobia nodulation, plant K tissue concentration, soil phosphorus (P), soil potassium
(K), total soil nitrogen (N), and total soil carbon (C) compared with control conditions. Soil pH
also tended to increase, becoming less acidic, following the addition of biochar. Variables that
showed no significant mean response to biochar included belowground productivity, the ratio of
aboveground : belowground biomass, mycorrhizal colonization of roots, plant tissue N, and soil P
concentration, and soil inorganic N. Additional analyses found no detectable relationship between
the amount of biochar added and aboveground productivity. Our results provide the first
quantitative review of the effects of biochar on multiple ecosystem functions and the central
tendencies suggest that biochar holds promise in being a win‐win‐win solution to energy, carbon
storage, and ecosystem function. However, biochar's impacts on a fourth component, the
downstream nontarget environments, remain unknown and present a critical research gap.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcbb.12037
 9. Organic and inorganic contaminants removal from water with biochar, a
renewable, low cost and sustainable adsorbent – A critical review
Dinesh Mohan
Abstract
Biochar is used for soil conditioning, remediation, carbon sequestration and water remediation.
Biochar application to water and wastewater has never been reviewed previously. This review
focuses on recent applications of biochars, produced from biomass pyrolysis (slow and fast), in
water and wastewater treatment. Slow and fast pyrolysis biochar production is briefly discussed.
The literature on sorption of organic and inorganic contaminants by biochars is surveyed and
reviewed. Adsorption capacities for organic and inorganic contaminants by different biochars
under different operating conditions are summarized and, where possible, compared. Mechanisms
responsible for contaminant remediation are briefly discussed. Finally, a few recommendations for
further research have been made in the area of biochar development for application to water
filtration.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096085241400145X

10. Filtration of engineered nanoparticles in carbon-based fixed bed columns

Mandu Inyang
Abstract
Widespread applications of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have raised concerns over their
occurrences in the environment. In this work, laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling
were conducted to determine whether carbon materials could be used to remove 3 ENPs: silver
nanoparticles (AgNPs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and titanium dioxide (NTiO2) from water.
Hickory chips biochar (HC) and activated carbon (AC) were used and the two carbons were
modified with iron impregnation to enhance their affiliation to the ENPs. Results from batch
sorption experiments showed that all the carbon sorbents could sorb the ENPs in aqueous solutions
and the iron modification improved their sorption ability. When the carbons were packed in sand
columns, however, the unmodified carbon showed little removal efficiency to the ENPs, no better
than the sand media. Similarly, the columns enabled with iron-modified carbons had better
filtration ability to the ENPs, particularly to NTiO2 and AgNP. Among all the carbons, the iron-
modified biochar was the best in filtering all the ENPs. Simulations from a model based on the
advection-dispersion equation matched the filtration and transport of ENPs in the columns well.
The DLVO theory also accurately described the interaction between the ENPs and the carbon
materials. Findings from this study indicate that biochar, particularly after modification, can be
used as a low-cost filter material to remove ENPs from water.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894713001009
 11. Arsenic and chromium removal from water using biochars derived from rice husk,
organic solid wastes and sewage sludge
EvitaAgrafiotiaDimitriosKalderisbEvanDiamadopoulos
Abstract
Biochars derived from rice husk, the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes and sewage sludge,
as well as a sandy loam soil, were used as adsorbents for As(V), Cr(III) and Cr(VI) removal from
aqueous solutions. The kinetic study showed that sorption can be well described by the pseudo-
second order kinetic model, while simulation of sorption isotherms gave better fit for the
Freundlich model. The materials examined removed more than 95% of the initial Cr(III). However,
removal rates for As(V) and Cr(VI) anions were significantly lower. Biochar derived from sewage
sludge was efficient in removing 89% of Cr(VI) and 53% of As(V). Its ash high Fe2O3 content
may have enhanced metal adsorption via precipitation. Soil was the most effective material for the
removal of As(V), yet it could not strongly retain metal anions compared to biochars, as a
significant amount of the adsorbed metal was released during desorption experiments.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479713007470

12. Comparative study on pharmaceuticals adsorption in reclaimed water desalination

concentrate using biochar: Impact of salts and organic matter
LuLinWenbinJiangPeiXu
Abstract
The synergistic impact of salts and organic matter on adsorption of ibuprofen and
sulfamethoxazole by three types of biochar and an activated carbon was investigated using
reclaimed water reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate and synthetic solutions spiked with target
organic compounds and non-target water constituents (e.g., Na+, Ca2 +, Mg2 +, K+, Cl−, SO42
−, alkalinity, humic acid (HA), and bovine serum albumin (BSA)). Kinetic modeling was used to
better understand the adsorption process between the carbon adsorbents and pharmaceuticals and
to elucidate the impact of water chemistry on pharmaceuticals adsorption. The adsorption capacity
of pharmaceuticals by biochar was affected by their physicochemical properties including ash
content, specific surface area, charge, pore volume, as well as hydrophobicity, π-energy, and
speciation of pharmaceuticals. The adsorption of pharmaceuticals in concentrate was pH-
dependent, the kinetic rate constant increased with deceasing pH due to the electrical interactions
between pharmaceutical molecules and adsorbents. High salinity and electrolyte ions in RO
concentrate improved adsorption, whereas the presence of carbonate species, HA, and BSA
hindered the removal of ibuprofen and sulfamethoxazole. This study revealed the correlation of
concentrate water quality on adsorption of pharmaceuticals by biochar and activated carbon.
Biochar provides a promising alternative to activated carbon for removal of organic contaminants
of emerging concerns in various wastewater and concentrate streams.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969717313104
 13. Engineered/designer biochar for the removal of phosphate in water and wastewater
KumarVikrantaKi-HyunKimbYong SikOkcDaniel C.W.TsangdYiu FaiTsangeBalendu
ShekharGiriaRam SharanSingh
Abstract
During the past decade, biochar has attracted immense scientific interest for agricultural and
environmental applications. A broad range of biochars with advantageous properties (e.g., high
surface area, flexible architecture, and high porosity) has been developed for pollution abatement.
Nevertheless, biochar suffers from certain drawbacks (e.g., limited sorption capacity for anions
and poor mechanical properties) that limit their practical applicability. This review focuses on
recent advancements in biochar technology, especially with respect to its technical aspects, the
variables associated with removing phosphates from water, and the challenges for such abatement.
The attention paid to the specific remediation of phosphate from water using biochar is limited (n
= 1114 – Scopus) compared to the application of biochar to other common water pollutants (n =
3998 – Scopus). The subject warrants immediate rigorous research because of the undesirable
effects of excess phosphate in water bodies. This review will thus facilitate the construction of a
roadmap for further developments and the expansion of this challenging area of research.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969717329042

14. Review on latest developments in biodiesel production using carbon-based catalysts

Lakhya JyotiKonwarJutikaBoroDhanapatiDeka
Abstract
Catalyst plays an important role in biodiesel production. Owing to the advantages of heterogeneous
catalysts in terms of separation and reusability over the traditionally used homogeneous catalyst,
the research has now been focused on these heterogeneous catalysts in recent years. In order to
make the process fully “green”, researchers are trying to prepare catalysts from renewable sources
such as biomass. Within this concept the carbon based catalysts have been introduced. Carbon
based materials are considered as ideal catalysts due to desirable features such as low material
cost, high surface area and thermal stability. They are easily prepared by functionalizing carbon
surface with acids or bases; in other cases carbon material was reported to be used as a support.
Additionally, the carbon could be produced from most of the waste generated in different industrial
processes. Therefore, its utilization as catalyst makes the biodiesel production a “greener” one.
Under optimal conditions biodiesel (FAME) yields up to 90–98.3% were reported over various
carbon based catalysts.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136403211300659X
 15. Environmental Comparison of Biochar and Activated Carbon for Tertiary
Wastewater Treatment
Kyle A. Thompson†Kyle K. Shimabuku†Joshua P. Kearns†‡Detlef R. U. Knappe‡R. Scott
Summers†Sherri M. Cook
Micropollutants in wastewater present environmental and human health challenges. Powdered
activated carbon (PAC) can effectively remove organic micropollutants, but PAC production is
energy intensive and expensive. Biochar adsorbents can cost less and sequester carbon; however,
net benefits depend on biochar production conditions and treatment capabilities. Here, life cycle
assessment was used to compare 10 environmental impacts from the production and use of wood
biochar, biosolids biochar, and coal-derived PAC to remove sulfamethoxazole from wastewater.
Moderate capacity wood biochar had environmental benefits in four categories (smog, global
warming, respiratory effects, noncarcinogenics) linked to energy recovery and carbon
sequestration, and environmental impacts worse than PAC in two categories (eutrophication,
carcinogenics). Low capacity wood biochar had even larger benefits for global warming,
respiratory effects, and noncarcinogenics, but exhibited worse impacts than PAC in five categories
due to larger biochar dose requirements to reach the treatment objective. Biosolids biochar had the
worst relative environmental performance due to energy use for biosolids drying and the need for
supplemental adsorbent. Overall, moderate capacity wood biochar is an environmentally superior
alternative to coal-based PAC for micropollutant removal from wastewater, and its use can offset
a wastewater facility’s carbon footprint.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.6b03239?src=recsys

16. To Evaluate the Efficiency of Char and Biochar for Waste Water Treatment
Ayesha Rasheed*, Saman Sana, Saif-ur-Rehman Kashif, Zeeshan Umer and Maria
Khatoon
Abstract
Appropriate waste administration is a basic key to ecological sustainability. Solid waste
management and waste water treatment is a worldwide issue due to increment in both urbanization
and industrialization. Water is one of significant common assets and is basic for maintainability of
life. Toxic industrial effluents released into sewage systems and drains without treatment that
deteriorating the water quality for drinking and irrigation. Char and Biochar produced from
pyrolysis are stable carbon rich compounds which have various beneficial applications like soil
conditioning, remediation, carbon sequestration and water treatment. To study efficiency of char
and biochar for wastewater treatment, composite sample was collected from the Main Outfall
Drain, Lahore. Ten treatments consisting of different quantities of biochar (T1=200 g, T2=400 g,
T3=600 g, T4=800 g and T5=1000 g) and of char (T1=200 g, T2=400 g, T3=600 g, T4=800 g and
T5=1000 g) were taken. Sample wastewater was analyzed (pre and post) for different heavy metals
after being filtered through biochar and char filters. Significant decrease in concentration of heavy
metals was observed. In biochar value of Cr decreased from (0.32 ppm to 0.02 ppm), Fe (0.15 ppm
to 0.01 ppm), Zn (0.11 ppm to 0.03 ppm), Ni (0.09 ppm to 0.03 ppm), Pb (0.17 ppm to not detected)
and Mn (0.10 ppm to 0.04 ppm). In char treated water also decrease in heavy metals was observed
and significant results were observed in T10 (Cr=0.22, Pb=0.43, Fe=0.14, Zn=0.11, Ni=0.1 and
Mn=0.12). It could be concluded from results that efficiency of biochar in treating wastewater is
much better as compared to char as the reduction in heavy metals values is significant in case of
aforementioned. Hence, biochar could be used as a sorbent for wastewater remediation.
http://www.imedpub.com/articles/to-evaluate-the-efficiency-of-char-and-biochar-for-waste-
water-treatment.php?aid=21058

17. USES OF BIOCHAR, PART 4: WATER & AIR FILTRATION

Biochar as a replacement for activated carbon used as a water filtration media is an application we
are very excited about. The use of activated carbon to clean fish aquariums is well documented –
a summary of the two main methods (chemical and biofilter) is at Federation of British Aquatic
Societies (fbas).

(If you are looking for help on using biochar (or charcoal) in aquaponics and hydroponics as a
growing media (rather than a pure filtration media) - you may also find article 1 helpful.)
We believe biochar offers something very unique over activated carbon filters:
The possibility to do both chemical and biological filtration in one filter
Using the same filter media for many years – saving a huge amount of money, reducing waste and
its negative environmental impact
Re-using 100% of any spent biochar filter media to make a 'super compost' soil improver. Biochar
inoculated in compost helps improve soil health and plant growth. The carbon is also locked
(sequested) into the soil - offsetting your carbon foot print and helping mitigate climate change.
Well managed acquarium activated-carbon filters should do two things
– remove organic molecules by adsorption onto the pore surface. As organic molecules are
removed the water is clarified. (Many organic molecules have a yellow colour tinge)
– Act as a living space for nitrifying bacteria. The aerobic (oxygen requiring) nitfying bacteria
convert toxic ammonia (excreted by fresh water fish) into the less toxic nitrate/nitrite molecules.
The active pore sites quickly become full – requiring the filter to be replaced. As the bacteria work
and grow biofilms build up. Eventually this ‘slimy film’ can restrict airflow and the nitrifying
bacteria cease – anaerobic bacteria become dominate and smell / odour follows. The theory goes
that you should wash the activated carbon pellets and keep using – which works to an extent. Here
are the issues:
Activated carbon pellets (PAC, GAC granules 2mm pellets etc) in our opinion are poor 'homes'
for bacteria. Bacteria (which are 2-10 micron in size) can only live on the surface of the pellet –
which is a tiny surface area. Biochar has numerous pores that bacteria can live and hide in.
Removing ammonia from aquarium water is just one of the challenges faced. Excess food and fish
poo also need to be removed. To remove wastes, your tank needs to support a population of
‘aerobic composting’ bacteria – ie bacteria that eat organic matter. These will live quite happily
alongside nitrifying bacteria. Aerobic bacteria like nitrifying bacteria need you to maintain oxygen
levels in the tank water. As soon as the oxygen level falls too low, the anaerobic digesting bacteria
take over the food digestion.
Biochar (formed from wood) is a vastly superior home for aerobic and nitrifying bacteria.
Correctly made wood based biochar not only has micro pores that absorb organic molecules, it has
larger pores (called meso and macro pores) that are large enough for bacteria to live in. This porous
structure also supports aeration (oxygen flow) and water flow. You can host more bacteria and
hence clean more water.
The biochar advantage continues: once the micro pores are filled with organic matter the filter
carries on working. The aerobic composting bacteria just keep eating it! As with activated-carbon
you just need to wash most (not all) of the biofilm out every 6 months.
Replacing filters is great recurring business for the carbon suppliers – but it is not so good for the
consumer’s pocket nor is it good for the environment as most of this carbon ends up in landfill.
(on larger water treatment plants it is often returned for reprocessing. Much as we would like to
believe the claims that the carbon industry ‘recycle and regenerate’ spent activated carbon filter
material, we can only find one successfully documented way to regenerate activated carbon and
that involves re-heating to 900C to ‘vaporise’ the filtered material off. This is as costly as making
new carbon - we believe most of the spent carbon filter returned is ‘burnt’ to generate energy to
make new activated carbon from oil.
In a biochar biofilter, afer many years it will become fragile due to flaking off of carbon durung
washing. When it reaches this point, it becomes a valuable resource used to improve your compost
and soil health. Here at SoilFixer we are trying to make the large water filter solution easy as we
plan to ‘rent’ the filters, wash and eventually replace using any spent biochar in our composting
process.
The SoilFixer focus is on soil improvers, but we manufacture a lot of biochar. We now sell biochar
for fish pond filters via our ebay shop in 1 litre (approx. 400g) and 30 litres (approx. 10 Kgs). We
make our biochar in the UK from UK wood resources - it is the best value for money fish tank
charcoal available today. If you know about filtering fish tanks and want to test biochar give us a
call – we think you will be amazed about how much cheaper it is to buy biochar carbon over
activated carbon. We also think you will be stunned by the possibility that with a little care, you
no longer have to replace your carbon filters every few months.
https://www.soilfixer.co.uk/Uses-of-biochar-part-4:-Water-and-Air-Filtration
 18. Biochar-based water treatment systems as a potential low-cost and sustainable
technology for clean water provision.
Gwenzi W1, Chaukura N2, Noubactep C3, Mukome FND4.
Abstract
Approximately 600 million people lack access to safe drinking water, hence achieving Sustainable
Development Goal 6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for
all by 2030) calls for rapid translation of recent research into practical and frugal solutions within
the remaining 13 years. Biochars, with excellent capacity to remove several contaminants from
aqueous solutions, constitute an untapped technology for drinking water treatment. Biochar water
treatment has several potential merits compared to existing low-cost methods (i.e., sand filtration,
boiling, solar disinfection, chlorination): (1) biochar is a low-cost and renewable adsorbent made
using readily available biomaterials and skills, making it appropriate for low-income communities;
(2) existing methods predominantly remove pathogens, but biochars remove chemical, biological
and physical contaminants; (3) biochars maintain organoleptic properties of water, while existing
methods generate carcinogenic by-products (e.g., chlorination) and/or increase concentrations of
chemical contaminants (e.g., boiling). Biochars have co-benefits including provision of clean
energy for household heating and cooking, and soil application of spent biochar improves soil
quality and crop yields. Integrating biochar into the water and sanitation system transforms linear
material flows into looped material cycles, consistent with terra preta sanitation. Lack of design
information on biochar water treatment, and environmental and public health risks constrain the
biochar technology. Seven hypotheses for future research are highlighted under three themes: (1)
design and optimization of biochar water treatment; (2) ecotoxicology and human health risks
associated with contaminant transfer along the biochar-soil-food-human pathway, and (3) life
cycle analyses of carbon and energy footprints of biochar water treatment systems.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28454068

19. Assessment of addition of biochar to filtering mixtures for potential water pollutant
removal
Lea Piscitelli,1,2 Pierre-Adrien Rivier,2 Donato Mondelli,3 Teodoro Miano,3 and Erik J.
Jonercorresponding author2
Abstract
Green roofs are used increasingly to alleviate peaks of water discharge into the sewage systems in
urban areas. Surface runoff from roofs contain pollutants from dry and wet deposition, and green
roofs offer a possibility to reduce the amounts of pollutants in the water discharged from roofs by
degradation and filtering. These pollutants would otherwise enter wastewater treatments plants and
ultimately end up in sewage sludge that is spread on agricultural soils. The most common
substrates used in green roofs have limited capacity for filtration and sorption. Also, more
sustainable alternatives are sought, due to the high carbon footprint of these materials. Biochar is
a carbon-rich material produced by pyrolysis of biomass, and several types of biochar have been
described as good sorbents and filter materials. Biochar is also a light and carbon negative material,
which may fulfill other desired criteria for new green roof substrates. We here report on an
experiment where two types of biochar, produced from olive husks at 450 °C or from forest waste
at 850 ° C were mixed with volcanic rock or peat, and tested for retention capacity of phenanthrene
and six heavy metals in a column experiment with unsaturated gravimetric water flow lasting for
3 weeks. The results suggest that biochar as a component in green roof substrates perform better
than traditional materials, concerning retention of the tested pollutants, and that different types of
biochar have different properties in this respect.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5773637/
20. A biochar-based medium in the biofiltration system: Removal efficiency,
microorganism propagation, and the medium penetration modeling
Pranas Baltrėnas,Edita Baltrėnaitė,Jonas Kleiza &Jurgita Švedienė
ABSTRACT
Biofiltration is a method of biological treatment belonging to cleaner technologies because it does
not produce secondary air pollutants, but helps to integrate natural processes in microorganisms
for decomposing volatile air pollutants and solving odor problems. The birch wood biochar has
been chosen as a principal material for biofilter bed medium. The experiments were conducted at
the temperatures of 24, 28, and 32 °C, while the concentration of acetone, xylene, and ammonium
reached 300 mg/m3 and the flow rate was 100 m3/hr. Before passing through the stage of the
experimental research into the packing material inside biofilters, microorganisms were introduced.
Four strains of microorganisms (including micromycetes Aspergillus versicolor BF-4 and
Cladosporium herbarum 7KA, as well as yeast Exophiala sp. BF1 and bacterium Bacillus subtilis
B20) were selected. At the inlet loading rate of 120 g/m3/hr, the highest elimination capacity of
xylene in the biochar-based biofilter with the inoculated medium was 103 g/m3/hr, whereas that
of ammonia was 102 g/m3/hr and that of acetone was 97 g/m3/hr, respectively. The maximum
removal efficiency reached 86%, 85%, and 81%, respectively. The temperature condition (though
characterized by some rapid changes) can hardly have a considerable influence on the biological
effect (i.e., microbiological activity) of biofiltration; however, it can cause the changes in physical
properties (e.g., solubility) of the investigated compounds.

Implications: The birch biochar can be successfully used in the biofiltration system for propagation
of inoculated microorganisms, biodegrading acetone, xylene, and ammonia. At the inlet loading
rate of 120 g/m3/hr, the highest elimination capacity of xylene was 103 g/m3/hr, that of ammonia
was 102 g/m3/hr, and that of acetone was 97 g/m3/hr, respectively. The morphological structure
of biochar can be affected by the aggressive air contaminants, causing the change in the medium
specific surface area, which is one of the factors controlling the biofilter performance. Although
biological effects in biofiltration are typically considered to be more important than physical
effects, the former may be more important for compounds with high Henry’s Law coefficient
values, and the biofilter design should thus provide conditions for better compound absorption.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10962247.2016.1162227

21. A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON BIOCHAR FORMATION AND ITS

UTILIZATION FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT
MONIKA SHARMA, JOGINDER SINGH, CHINNAPPAN BASKAR AND AJAY
KUMAR
Abstract
Biochar derived from biomass is a potential product and an alternative renewable energy source.
This review paper discusses the effect of various process parameters on biochar production through
biomass pyrolysis and an updated review on the reaction and fundamentals mechanisms of both
HTC (Hydrothermal carbonization) process and slow pyrolysis. An alternative to these techniques
is dry torrefaction and gasification which has shown promising results. In addition it helps to
summarize the physicochemical characteristics of biochars for various applications in the industry.
An overview of recent advances occurring in different bio-char utilizations is provided. This
include its use as activated carbon, catalyst, fuel cell, soil amendment, contaminant adsorbent, gas
storage etc. is given. Its effective utilization requires further research, investigations and
experimental designs in terms of biomass composition, feedstock, process conditions and biochar
characteristics. Furthermore, agricultural and environmental benefits derived from biochar are also
discussed. Overall, use of bio- char as sustainable high-value products seems to have a very
promising future.
http://www.envirobiotechjournals.com/article_abstract.php?aid=8665&iid=249&jid=4
“Effectiveness of Biochar-Based Water Filters in cleaning
wastewater”

Compilation of Related Studies

Researchers:

Aquino, Judy Mae G.

Aquino, Sharmaine
Dela Cruz, Jeanne Ivy