N-doped graphitic biochars from C-phycocyanin extracted Spirulina residue for catalytic persulfate activation toward nonradical disinfection and organic oxidation
Abstract
Biochars are low-cost and environmental-friendly materials, which are promising in wastewater treatment. In this study, biochars were manufactured from C-phycocyanin extracted (C-CP) Spirulina residue (SDBC) via thermal pyrolysis. Simultaneously, N-doping was also achieved from the protein in the algae for obtaining a high-performance carbocatalyst for peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation. The SDBC yielded large specific surface areas, nitrogen loading, and good conductivity, which demonstrated excellent oxidation efficiencies toward a wide array of aqueous microcontaminants. An in-depth mechanistic study was performed by integrating selective radical scavenging, solvent exchange (H 2 O to D 2 O), diverse organic probes, and electrochemical measurement, unveiling that SDBC/PDS did not rely on free radicals or singlet oxygen but a nonradical pathway. PDS intimately was bonded with a biochar (SDBC 900-acid, pyrolysis at 900 °C) to form a surface reactive complex that subsequently attacked an organic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) adsorbed on the biochar via an electron-transfer regime. During this process, the SDBC 900-acid played versatile roles in PDS activation, organic accumulation and mediating the electron shuttle from SMX to PDS. This nonradical system can maintain a superior oxidation efficiency in complicated water matrix and long-term stable operation. More importantly, the nonradical species in SDBC 900-acid/PDS system were capable of inactivating the bacteria (Escherichia coli) in wastewater. Therefore, the biochar based nonradical system can provide a mild and high-efficiency strategy for disinfection in waste and drinking water by green carbocatalysis. This study provides not only a value-added biochar catalyst for wastewater purification but also the first insight into the bacteria inactivation via nonradical oxidation.
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Previous research on metal-incorporated biochars aimed to enhance separation and recyclability by endowing ferromagnetism, promote adsorption capacity towards anionic metalloids or organic pollutants, and act as pore forming agents during thermochemical conversion.
“Previous research studying metal-incorporated biochars strived to reach practical objectives including: (a) enhancing the separation and recyclability of biochar by endowing ferromagnetism to the metalbiochar composites (e.g., iron, cobalt, and nickel) after environmental applications in aqueous solution; (b) promoting the adsorption capacity of raw biochars towards anionic metalloids or organic”
From Sustainable remediation with an electroactive biochar system: mechanisms and perspectives (2020) · cites this paper as [34]
Ho et al. fabricated N-doped biochar from direct pyrolysis of C-phycocyanin extracted Spirulina residue, achieving self-doping of graphitic N at 900 °C from inherent protein contents, enabling efficient electron transfer to PDS molecules.
“Ho et al. fabricated a novel N-doped biochar from direct pyrolysis of C-phycocyanin extracted Spirulina residue, and the self-doping of graphitic N could be achieved under high pyrolytic temperature (900 °C) from the inherent protein contents in algae for efficient electron transfer to PDS molecules.34”
From Sustainable remediation with an electroactive biochar system: mechanisms and perspectives (2020) · cites this paper as [34]
Irrespective of specific N dopants, both edge-nitrogenated biochar with pyrrolic N and pyridinic N and N-doped biochar functionalized with graphitic N prompt generation of surface-bound reactive complexes that subsequently attack organic pollutants via a direct electron transfer regime along the graphitic carbon lattice.
“Irrespective of the specific N dopants, both the edge-nitrogenated (pyrrolic N and pyridinic N) biochar and the N-doped biochar functionalized with graphitic N were testified to prompt the generation of surface-bound reactive complexes that subsequently attacked organic pollutants via a direct electron transfer regime along the graphitic carbon lattice.34,35”
From Sustainable remediation with an electroactive biochar system: mechanisms and perspectives (2020) · cites this paper as [34]
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- Authors
- Ho, S.-H., Chen, Y.-D., Li, R., Zhang, C., Ge, Y., Cao, G., Ma, M., Duan, X., Wang, S., & Ren, N.-Q.
- Affiliations
- Harbin Institute of Technology (CN)
- The University of Adelaide (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Chen, Yi-di
- Duan, Xiaoguang
- Venue
- Water Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-08
- Volume
- 159
- Pages
- 77-86
- ISSN
- 0043-1354 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2944675690
- Cited by
- 478
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 62 · 2024: 66 · 2023: 85 · 2022: 102 · 2021: 81 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 11
- FWCI
- 21.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Water Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Advanced oxidation water treatment
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Water Treatment and Disinfection
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
- Keywords
- N-doped biochar, persulfate activation, sulfamethoxazole degradation, electron transfer, Escherichia coli inactivation, wastewater treatment, thermal pyrolysis, drinking water disinfection
- MeSH terms
- Charcoal, Disinfection, Graphite, Phycocyanin, Spirulina
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