MgFe2O4/ZVI@AC-activated peracetic acid system for efficient degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride: Mechanistic insights and matrix resilience.

Long cycling aqueous sodium-ion batteries at-30°C enabled by solvation structure reorganization.

Fast kinetics of BPA adsorption onto biomass based activated carbons (ACs): Mechanism of adsorption and economic advantage

With the rise of the hydrogen economy and the necessity of active planetary carbon management, opportunities emerge for utilizing oxygen generated as a byproduct of electrolytic hydrogen production. While oxygen has established uses, this perspective focuses on novel opportunities arising from the substantial increase in oxygen production driven by the growing green hydrogen sector. Today's large-scale, fossil-based chemical industry achieves its high efficiency primarily through integrated networks. Green oxygen could serve as a crucial building block for forming efficient networks of the future chemical industry, contributing to planetary carbon management and the development of a nonfossil-based chemical industry of the future. Crucially, regulatory barriers to the implementation and scaling of green oxygen utilization need to be addressed.

This study designs ethanolamine-based hydrated eutectic electrolytes to stabilize Zn anodes by coregulating the solvation structure and interfacial adsorption. EA interacts with Zn2+ to suppress H2O and anion (OTf-) coordination, and it preferentially anchors on the Zn anode. Therefore, a superior lifespan of Zn||Zn cells of over 1800 h at 2 mA cm-2/2 mAh cm-2 and enhanced stability of an active carbon cathode are obtained.

The world’s water resources are being deteriorated by the continuous discharge of various contaminants, highlighting the problem of dyes. Many industrial activities (dyeing, food, and medicines) depend on the use of synthetic dyes. Due to their strong color, toxicity, and carcinogenic properties, dye effluents are detrimental to human health and the environment and their treatment is mandatory before discharge. The manuscript intends to present a comprehensive summary of the advantages and drawbacks of using different treatments on the removal of dyes, mainly those based on adsorption. Emphasis is placed on the use of adsorbents from biomass or biomass waste, which are used in their original form or after conversion into biochar or activated carbon (AC). In this review, the use of biomass-based feedstocks to produce biochar and ACs and their application on the removal of various types of dyes from liquid effluents are compiled and critically discussed. This approach positions waste and sub products not as a problem, but as a valuable raw material for producing high value-added materials. The performance of different adsorbents, for the removal of cationic and anionic dyes, is discussed and related to the textural, physical and chemical characteristics of adsorbents and adsorption. It differs from the other revision manuscripts in that it elucidates to the readers the points to ponder before choosing an adsorbent for the removal of a specific dye, mainly for large-scale uses.

Abstract The contamination of arsenic (As) poses a serious challenge to both rice growth and human health. The present study utilized the micro- and nano-scale bone char (MNBC) derived from pork bones as a remediation agent for arsenic-affected paddy soil. MNBCs at 25 g/kg were applied to soil contaminated with As at 75 mg/kg. Compared to the As-alone treatment, the MNBC additions significantly enhanced soil biochemical functions through increased urease activity (93.80%–166.47%), catalase activity (35.2%–519.42%), and organic carbon content (9.15%–29.89%). Concurrently, MNBC reinforced microbial detoxification capacity via reducing abundance of As(V) reduction genes ( arsC and arsR abundances declined by 5.93%–52.29%) and elevating abundance of As methylation genes ( arsM abundance increased by 11.06%–19.66%). Notably, As speciation shifted with available-As increasing by 17.11%–48.65%, acid-soluble As increased by 210.5%–355.23%, while residual As decreased by 12.97%–46.42%, compared to the As-alone. Although the MNBC amendment did not alter As accumulation in rice tissues, it collectively improved soil health by enhancing microbial resilience and nutrient cycling functions. Overall, our finding demonstrated the potential of MNBCs to improve soil quality, mitigate soil arsenic stress in paddy soil, and further holistically restore As-contaminated paddy ecosystems. Graphical Abstract

The dye industry faces significant challenges in economically treating wastewater, posing serious environmental and public health concerns. This study investigates adsorption as a remediation strategy for Bromocresol Green (BCG) removal using spent bleaching earth (SBE) and activated carbon (AC) derived from glycerin pitch waste. AC was synthesized via thermal carbonization and further modified with phosphoric acid (AC-P) and titanium oxide (AC-Ti). Characterization techniques (XRD, N2 adsorption–desorption, FESEM-EDX) revealed that AC-P exhibited a highly porous structure, resulting in superior dye removal efficiency compared to AC, AC-Ti, and SBE. Batch adsorption experiments identified optimal conditions of 60 min contact time, 0.2 g adsorbent dosage, and 20 ppm dye concentration, with adsorption behavior fitting the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. AC-P achieved up to 99.56 ± 0.84% BCG removal and maintained reusability over six regeneration cycles. Application to real batik wastewater demonstrated 97.63 ± 0.91% removal, confirming the practical potential of AC-P as a sustainable adsorbent for industrial dye effluent treatment.

While the ball-milled [Al-Fe-AC]bm composite has demonstrated remarkable performance for nitrate remediation, the underlying mechanisms governing its pH-dependent reactivity and high nitrogen (N2) selectivity remain inadequately elucidated. This work systematically decouples the synergistic roles of Al0, Fe0, and activated carbon (AC) in the [Al-Fe-AC]bm system across a broad pH range (initial pH0 4.0-13.0; stabilized pHw 7.0-12.0). We identify a critical operational pHw threshold of approximately 10.5, beyond which the dominant reduction pathway shifts from direct electron transfer to atomic hydrogen (H*)-mediated reduction. Under acidic to circumneutral conditions, Fe0 corrosion elevates pH to depassivate Al0, enabling electron-driven nitrate reduction with high N2 selectivity (>73%). In contrast, under strongly alkaline conditions, excessive H* generation─promoted by Al//Fe and Al//AC galvanic couples─shifts the pathway toward nonselective hydrogenation, resulting in ammonium as the predominant product, as corroborated by H* scavenging experiments and electrochemical analysis. Strong correlations between AC's specific surface area/pore volume and N2 selectivity, combined with in situ Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) detection of *N2O intermediate, demonstrate that AC's nanoconfinement promotes *NO dimerization for selective N-N coupling. This study provides a fundamental mechanistic framework for designing efficient and selective metal-carbon composites for sustainable nitrate remediation.

Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) regulates the partitioning of organic carbon between microbial biomass and CO2 emission, yet its response to climate warming remains poorly understood, especially in naturally regenerating ecosystems like abandoned croplands. Here, we conducted 3 year in situ warming experiments (+1.6 °C) across 12 abandoned cropland sites spanning arid to humid climatic zones in China. Using the 18O-H2O method and molecular characterization, we found that warming significantly reduced microbial CUE in humid areas (aridity index >0.65), but had little effect in arid areas (aridity index <0.65). In humid areas, warming-induced reductions in CUE were driven by increases in fungal biomass, particularly pathotrophic and pathotroph-saprotrophic fungal guilds, together with shifts in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) composition toward more aromatic and recalcitrant compounds. Moreover, changes in CUE under warming were significantly positively correlated with change in DOC, but not with change in soil organic carbon (SOC), suggesting a temporal asynchrony and highlighting the need to consider the active carbon pool when assessing warming's impact on SOC. Our findings reveal a climate-dependent microbial mechanism that may weaken the carbon sequestration potential of humid abandoned croplands under future warming, underscoring the importance of region-specific strategies for soil carbon management.

Aqueous organic batteries provide a sustainable and metal-free alternative to conventional electrochemical storage, with performance often limited by modest active material loading and incomplete utilization inside porous carbon hosts. We report a simple all-organic full cell in which supercritical CO2 (scCO2) impregnation loads halogenated quinones into activated carbon (AC) and reorganizes the interface in a way that accelerates charge transfer. Using a minimal formulation, 1,5-dichloroanthraquinone is incorporated at approximately 38 wt % loading in the quinone/AC composite (prior to binder addition) with full electrochemical utilization, corresponding to high-density filling of the micropores rather than a high overall active-mass fraction, and serving as evidence of effective pore accessibility. Micropore analysis indicates about 90% of a micropore-limited upper bound. Small-angle X-ray scattering shows an increase in the high-q electron density correlation length, consistent with strengthened π-π stacking and denser intrapore packing under supercritical conditions. We extracted interfacial electronic state information that can change with the impregnation route: comparative C K-edge X-ray absorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveal core-level shifts consistent with a modified electronic environment and enhanced interfacial polarization in the scCO2-impregnated samples relative to liquid-impregnated controls; confinement- and packing-related effects may also contribute. In aqueous full cells, the supercritical route gives a 60% increase in energy density and a clearly improved rate response relative to liquid-phase impregnation, while retaining 95% of the capacity after 1000 cycles; electrochemical impedance spectroscopy likewise shows a lower apparent charge transfer resistance for electrodes fabricated via supercritical impregnation, indicating faster interfacial kinetics. Taken together, these results demonstrate that scCO2 impregnation promotes π-π-stacking-driven intrapore ordering and near-complete utilization in porous carbon quinone electrodes, translating nanoscale organization into device-level gains in a simple metal-free aqueous system.

The increasing release of toxic pollutants into water bodies, especially heavy metal ions (HMs), poses severe environmental and health challenges. Among various remediation techniques, adsorption using functionalized carbon nanomaterials has emerged as an efficient and sustainable approach due to their high surface area, tunable porosity, and diverse surface functionalities. This review systematically evaluates recent advancements in the synthesis, surface functionalization, and adsorption behaviour of carbon-based nanomaterials such as graphene oxide (GO), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), biochar (BC), and activated carbon (AC) for the removal of HMs. Particular attention is given to the roles of oxygen-, nitrogen-, and sulfur-containing functional groups in enhancing adsorption via mechanisms such as electrostatic interactions, ion exchange, surface complexation, redox transformation, and precipitation. The novelty of this review lies in its focused and comparative analysis of how specific surface functional groups influence distinct adsorption mechanisms, capacities, and kinetic/isotherm behaviours across various carbonaceous nanomaterials. Additionally, it highlights recent advancements in multifunctional composite adsorbents such as GO-polymer hybrids, Metal organic frameworks (MOFs)-carbon composites, and metal oxide-functionalized BC that offer synergistic improvements in selectivity, reusability, and stability. By identifying current research gaps and synthesizing recent findings, this review provides a strategic framework for designing next-generation carbon nanomaterials for practical applications in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.

Competitive adsorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on activated carbon: Impact of activated carbon and PFAS properties.

Enhancing mass yield and adsorption performance of activated carbon via pyrolysis-condensation pretreatment coupled with activation of biomass by K2C2O4.

ABSTRACT This study introduces a thin‐film‐based hydrovoltaic electricity generator under ambient conditions with low mass loading. A novel design based on the development of a low‐cost, high‐performance hydrovoltaic power generator utilizing a composite material based on bio‐derived activated carbon (AC) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) has been proposed. The PVDF was incorporated to leverage its ability to enhance the electronegativity of the material upon interaction with solvents and acts as a binder, thereby inducing a hydrovoltaic effect despite its hydrophobicity. By optimizing the weight ratio of PVDF with AC, the resulting device successfully delivered a peak output of above 1 V and an average current of 50 µA and demonstrates a maximum power output of 14 µW/cm 2 . Simultaneously, the generated power can be maintained by dropping a single drop of water on top of the device after an optimized amount of time. The device exhibited the crucial capability to resume power output after 60 days of idleness under ambient humidity and temperature conditions, underscoring its potential for practical and real‐time applications. Furthermore, the integration of a supercapacitor in the same device is also tested for obtaining an increased current output.

Synergistic effects of Lewis-Brønsted dual acids on pore development of activated carbon in activation of cotton for enhanced adsorption of organic pollutants

Highly selective enrichment of EU-priority PAHs from aromatic peanut oil utilizing urea-hybridized activated carbon.

In this study, a novel multifunctional nanocomposite was developed by integrating molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) with activated carbon (AC) derived from tomato waste, utilizing both sustainable pyrolysis (ACF) and hydrothermal (ACH) synthesis methods. The surface areas of ACF and ACH were determined to be 480.044 and 385.883 m2/g, respectively. ACF exhibited superior structural characteristics, including higher porosity and a wider interlayer spacing (21.88°, d = 0.41 nm), compared to ACH (24.65°, d = 0.36 nm). Upon compositing ACH with MoS2, enhanced graphitization and improved electrical conductivity were observed, as indicated by a distinct XRD peak at 26.27° (d = 0.33 nm) and significant photoluminescence quenching. SEM analysis revealed a porous, sheet-like morphology for ACH, while BET confirmed its mesoporous structure and an increased active surface area of 460.93 m2/g. These attributes facilitate rapid ion diffusion and efficient electron transport, making the MoS2/ACH composite an excellent candidate for quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). In addition, the nanocomposite was employed as a counter electrode in QDSSCs, exhibiting notable enhancements in power conversion efficiency. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy demonstrated improved charge transfer kinetics, with reductions in series resistance (Rs) from 11.41 for ACF to 4.38 Ω for ACF/1T-MoS2 and charge transfer resistance (Rct), which dropped from 1202 to 178 Ω for ACF and AC/1T-MoS2, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry indicated excellent electrochemical stability, as evidenced by consistent curve shapes across multiple cycles. The synergistic interaction between the porous carbon matrix and MoS2 nanosheets underpins the material’s superior performance in renewable energy applications.

Transport modeling of ZVI-AC mixtures in Cr(VI) remediation driven by spectral induced polarization.

Microbial interaction strategies of active bacteria shape carbon priming in intensively managed citrus orchard soils