Characterizing biochar as alternative sorbent for oil spill remediation

Biochar (BC) was characterized as a new carbonaceous material for the adsorption of toluene from water. The tested BC was produced from pine wood gasification, and its sorption ability was compared with that of more common carbonaceous materials such as activated carbon (AC). Both materials were characterized in terms of textural features and sorption abilities by kinetic and equilibrium tests. AC and BC showed high toluene removal from water. Kinetic tests demonstrated that BC is characterized by faster toluene removal than AC is. Textural features demonstrated that the porosity of AC is double that of BC. Nevertheless, equilibrium tests demonstrated that the sorption ability of BC is comparable with that of AC, so the materials' porosity is not the only parameter that drives toluene adsorption. The specific adsorption ability (mg sorbed m-2 of surface) of the BC is higher than that of AC: toluene is more highly sorbed onto the biochar surface. Biochar is furthermore obtained from biomaterial thermally treated for making energy; this also makes the use of BC economically and environmentally convenient compared with AC, which, as a manufactured material, must be obtained in selected conditions for this type of application. © 2017 The Author(s).