Lead researcher Marlena Ndoun, a doctoral student in Penn State’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, samples water in central Pennsylvania’s Spring Creek for emerging contaminants.
IMAGE: PENN STATE
Biochar — a charcoal-like substance made primarily from agricultural waste products — holds promise for removing emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals from treated wastewater.
That’s the conclusion of a team of researchers that conducted a novel study that evaluated and compared the ability of biochar derived from two common leftover agricultural materials — cotton gin waste and guayule bagasse — to adsorb three common pharmaceutical compounds from an aqueous solution. In adsorption, one material, like a pharmaceutical compound, sticks to the surface of another, like the solid biochar particle. Conversely, in absorption, one material is taken internally into another; for example, a sponge absorbs water.
Guayule, a shrub that grows in the arid Southwest, provided the waste for one of the biochars tested in the research. More properly called Parthenium argentatum, it has been cultivated as a source of rubber and latex. The plant is chopped to the ground and its branches mashed up to extract the latex. The dry, pulpy, fibrous residue that remains after stalks are crushed to extract the latex is called bagasse.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Biochar
- Opposition rejects Biochar's assertions on EPA guidance
Groups opposed to the construction of a Saratoga Biochar Solutions carbon-fertilizer plant in the Town of Moreau are speaking out after assertions were made by ...
- Argo Living Soils to Conduct Meetings with Putra University and Connective Global in Malaysia
Argo Living Soils Corp. (CSE: ARGO) (FSE: 94Y) (OTC Pink: ARLSF) ("Argo") is pleased to provide an update to the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Connective Global SDN BHD ...
- Climate tech startup WasteX gears up for accelerated growth in Southeast Asia with P4G funding
WasteX, a climate tech company operating in Indonesia and the Philippines, reached another milestone by securing US$450,000 in funds from P4G Partnerships, an initiative that helps businesses working ...
- Armstrong’s new ceiling panels made from 50 percent recycled content
Among the decarbonization techniques attached to Ultima LEC, says Armstrong, is their being made from 54 percent recycled content. Additionally, says the firm, the panels can be recycled through the ...
- Shropshire in biochar pyrolysis partnership
The council will take a 50% stake in a biochar operating company with councillors saying the unique scheme can be scaled up for wider use ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Biochar
[google_news title=”” keyword=”biochar” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Emerging contaminants
- Study finds high microplastic levels in Mediterranean fish despite low chemical contaminants
Researchers in a recent study published in the journal Foods discovered high levels of microplastics in popular Mediterranean fish species, despite low levels of cadmium and antibiotics, highlighting ...
- City of Bloomington Utilities will continue to test for PFAS
The City of Bloomington Utilities will continue testing for PFAS in the wake of a new regulation from the EPA.
- UCSD gets grant to re-open center to study seafood safety
UC San Diego was awarded $7.35 million for a program to study seafood contaminants and nutrients in a changing climate.
- Glenn N. Iosue Joins CDM Smith as an Environmental Services Business Leader
He has successfully remediated sites with petroleum impacts, CVOCs, emerging contaminants such as PFAS and other contaminants of concern. Iosue has 27 years of environmental experience in helping ...
- Best water filter pitchers that actually work, according to an expert
While many United States citizens have access to water faucets, the number of contaminants found within some of that running water can make it nearly undrinkable. Thankfully, we have water filter ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Emerging contaminants
[google_news title=”” keyword=”emerging contaminants” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]