Abstract
New technologies have been developed around the world to tackle current emergencies such as biowaste recycling, renewable energy production and reduction of environmental pollution. The thermochemical and biological conversions of waste biomass for bioenergy production release solid coproducts and byproducts, namely biochar (BC), hydrochar (HC) and digestate (DG), which can have important environmental and agricultural applications. Due to their physicochemical properties, these carbon-rich materials can behave as biosorbents of contaminants and be used for both wastewater treatment and soil remediation, representing a valid alternative to more expensive products and sophisticated strategies. The alkylphenols bisphenol A, octylphenol and nonylphenol possess estrogenic activity comparable to that of the human steroid hormones estrone, 17β-estradiol (and synthetic analog 17α-ethinyl estradiol) and estriol. Their ubiquitous presence in ecosystems poses a serious threat to wildlife and humans. Conventional wastewater treatment plants often fail to remove environmental estrogens (EEs). This review aims to focus attention on the urgent need to limit the presence of EEs in the environment through a modern and sustainable approach based on the use of recycled biowaste. Materials such as BC, HC and DG, the last being examined here for the first time as a biosorbent, appear appropriate for the removal of EEs both for their negligible cost and continuously improving performance and because their production contributes to solving other emergencies, such as virtuous management of organic waste, carbon sequestration, bioenergy production and implementation of the circular economy. Characterization of biosorbents, qualitative and quantitative aspects of the adsorption/desorption process and data modeling are examined.
Highlights
One of the most important paradigms of the current period is the preservation of the environment
The possibility of using coproducts and byproducts of bioenergy technologies to decontaminate wastewater and even soil can certainly be a valid alternative to other complex and less sustainable methods. The aim of this manuscript is to focus attention on the potential of materials from biowaste recycling to act as low-cost biosorbents in environmental applications according to a modern and sustainable approach that can represent an added value to environmental benefits already achieved with the production of these materials, such as the virtuous recycling of waste in compliance with the principles of the circular economy, the sequestration of carbon, the reduction of climate-altering gas emissions and a significant supply of renewable energy
A promising approach would be the use of biosorbents originating from the thermochemical and biological conversion of biowaste
Summary
One of the most important paradigms of the current period is the preservation of the environment. The possibility of using coproducts and byproducts of bioenergy technologies to decontaminate wastewater and even soil can certainly be a valid alternative to other complex and less sustainable methods For these reasons, the aim of this manuscript is to focus attention on the potential of materials from biowaste recycling to act as low-cost biosorbents in environmental applications according to a modern and sustainable approach that can represent an added value to environmental benefits already achieved with the production of these materials, such as the virtuous recycling of waste in compliance with the principles of the circular economy, the sequestration of carbon, the reduction of climate-altering gas emissions and a significant supply of renewable energy. Recent literature has been included in this review and the majority of references reported are from the last few years
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