Activated carbons (AC) serve as adsorbents in various applications requiring specific functionalities. In this study, the effects of biomass type, pre-carbonization process, and activation method on the properties of ACs were investigated. Chemical (KOH and H3PO4) and physical (CO2) activations were performed on slow pyrolyzed and hydrothermally carbonized (HTC) biochars produced from two feedstocks, willow and Scots pine bark (SPB). In addition, the adsorption capacities of the ACs were tested with two dyes and zinc metal. Distinct differences were found between the biochars and ACs regarding pore size distributions, surface area (238 \uffe2\uff80\uff93 3505 m2 g-1), and surface chemistry. KOH activation produced highly microporous ACs from all biochars, whereas with H3PO4 and CO2 there was also increase in the meso- and macroporosity with the HTC biochars. Adsorption capacity for dyes was dependent on the surface area, while for zinc it depended on AC\uffe2\uff80\uff99s pH. The results provide interesting insights into tailoring ACs for specific applications.
", "keywords": ["bark", "willow", "biohiili", "330", "Willow", "Activated carbon", "Activated carbon;", "pine bark", "pajut", "Pinus sylvestris", "tomography", "bio-based activated carbon", "620", "Biochar", "tomografia", "Pine bark", "SDG 13 - Climate Action", "Bio-based activated carbon", "activated carbon", "biochar", "ta219", "SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy", "X-ray tomography"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://bioresources.cnr.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/BioRes_13_3_5976_Siipola_Effects_Biomass_Type_Carbonizat_Process_Activat_Method_Activ_C_13985.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.15376/biores.13.3.5976-6002"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/BioResources", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.15376/biores.13.3.5976-6002", "name": "item", "description": "10.15376/biores.13.3.5976-6002", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.15376/biores.13.3.5976-6002"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-06-15T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/en14123488", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-28T16:20:39Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-06-11", "title": "Bio\u2010crude production through recycling of pretreated aqueous phase via activated carbon", "description": "The management and optimization of the aqueous phase are the major challenges that hinder the promotion of hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) technology on a commercial scale. Recently, many studies reported about the accumulation of the N-content in the bio-crude with continuous recycling of the aqueous phase from high protein-containing biomass. In the present study, sewage sludge was processed at 350 \uffc2\uffb0C in an autoclave. The produced aqueous phase was treated with activated carbon, and its subsequent recycling effect on the properties of the bio-crude and aqueous phase was investigated. By contacting the aqueous phase with activated carbon, 38\uffe2\uff80\uff9343% of the total nitrogen was removed from the aqueous phase. After applying the treated aqueous phase recycling, the energy recovery of the bio-crude increased from 50 to 61% after three rounds of recycling. From overall carbon/nitrogen recoveries, 50 to 56% of the carbon was transferred to the bio-crude phase and more than 50% of the nitrogen remained in the aqueous phase. The aqueous phase contained mostly of N&O-heterocyclic compounds, small chain organic acids, and amides. ICP-AES analysis showed that more than 80% of the inorganic elements were concentrated into the solid phase.
", "keywords": ["Technology", "sewage sludge", "Activated carbon", "Aqueous phase recycling", "T", "Bio\u2010crude", "0211 other engineering and technologies", "02 engineering and technology", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption", "aqueous phase recycling", "HTL", "13. Climate action", "0202 electrical engineering", " electronic engineering", " information engineering", "activated carbon", "Sewage sludge", "bio-crude", "aqueous phase recycling; sewage sludge; activated carbon; HTL; bio-crude"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/12/3488/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/12/3488/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/en14123488"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Energies", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/en14123488", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/en14123488", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/en14123488"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-06-11T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.crjdfn327", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "unspecified", "updated": "2026-07-28T16:21:09Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Effect of soil carbon amendments in reversing the legacy effect of plant invasion", "description": "1. Invasive plant species are key drivers of global environmental changes leading to the disruption of ecosystems they invade. Many invasive species engage in novel niche construction through plant-soil feedbacks facilitated by the input of secondary compounds, which help their further spread and survival. These compounds can persist in soil even after the removal of the invader thus creating a legacy effect that inhibits the return of native flora and fauna. Thus, formulating active intervention strategies that can reverse niche construction is critical for the restoration of these invaded ecosystems. 2. We hypothesized that the management practices that can reverse the soil carbon and nutrient cycling in invaded ecosystems can facilitate the rapid restoration of the invaded sites. We predicted that adding soil C amendments such as activated carbon and biochar can alter the microbial functional activity and nutrient cycling leading to the restoration of invaded habitats. We tested this hypothesis in an old-field in Massachusetts that has been invaded by Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) for >20 years. 3. After two years of treatment application, the activated carbon and biochar amended plots had 80% more biomass of the prairie species than the control plots. The C amendments also altered soil nutrient cycling and fungal biomass and enzyme activity compared to the control plots. The nitrate content of C amended plots was 5 times higher than the non-amended control plots indicating an increased nitrogen mineralization in C amended plots potentially due to the sorption of phenolic compounds by activated carbon and biochar that makes them unavailable. This was further supported by the increased phenol oxidase activity which might have been less inhibited by tannins and led to increased organic matter decomposition. 4. Synthesis and conclusions: Our results thus reveal the potential of soil C amendments in reversing niche construction and legacy effects of polyphenol-rich invasive species and indicate that biochar could be a more economically feasible alternative to activated carbon in restoring invaded ecosystems. Our results also emphasize that understanding the mechanism through which invasive species engage in niche construction is vital in formulating suitable knowledge-based restoration practices for invaded ecosystems.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "13. Climate action", "Activated carbon", "Japanese knotweed", "biochar", "phenolic compounds", "Legacy effect", "15. Life on land"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Suseela, Vidya, Zhang, Ziliang, Bhowmik, Prasanta,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.crjdfn327"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.crjdfn327", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.crjdfn327", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.crjdfn327"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-08-20T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.14923804", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-28T16:22:16Z", "type": "Report", "title": "Deliverable D4.1 \u2013 Performance and assessment of drinking water treatment trains for removal of PFAS and industrial chemicals", "description": "The aim of this deliverable is to enhance the understanding of competitive adsorption and ion exchange of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and other industrial persistent, mobile and toxic substances (iPMT) in the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and to optimize their removal in fixed-bed filters. To achieve this, laboratory and pilot-scale experiments were combined with monitoring of a large-scale groundwater treatment plant with activated carbon at a legacy contaminated site. In order to identify an optimal treatment train for PFAS removal, different high performance and tailored adsorbents were tested at laboratory scale and benchmarked against state-of-the-art granular activated carbon (GAC). Initially, a comprehensive adsorbent screening was conducted that involved a series of equilibrium jar tests using 18 different adsorbents and spiked drinking water (including 13 PFAS and 7 iPMT). These adsorbents were selected based on a literature research for high performance adsorbents for PFAS and iPMT removal and included several activated carbons, strong basic anion exchange resins as well as novel adsorbents such as surface modified clays, a cyclodextrin polymer and a zeolite. The results of the jar tests revealed that strong-base anion exchange resins (IX) were the most effective at removing PFAS. However, these IX were particularly vulnerable to competition from non-targeted DOM components. Activated carbons were found to be the most effective adsorbents in removing a wide range of iPMT, but they were ineffective at removing short-chain PFAS. For the alternative adsorbents tested, there were significant variations in their ability to remove PFAS and iPMT, with the bentonite-based surface modified clays (SMC) showing considerable potential due to their high PFAS selectivity. In line with current literature, the results showed that PFAS removal increased with the length of the perfluorinated carbon chain. For compounds of the same chain length, those with a sulfonate group were removed more effectively than those with a carboxylate group. Based on the results from the jar tests, three GAC products, two SMC, and two IX were selected for testing in laboratory scale rapid small-scale column tests with spiked drinking water, including 15 PFAS and 8 iPMT. The RSSCT dataset was used to determine the breakthrough curves of all investigated compounds and to shortlist the adsorbents for subsequent piloting. In addition, the data was analyzed to identify possible synergies between adsorbents in order to identify the most promising treatment train. Usage rates were quantified for all adsorbents based on the RSSCT data. In the subsequent piloting, an IX and a SMC, which had excelled in the laboratory tests, were piloted alongside a large-scale activated carbon plant. In addition, the most promising treatment train was tested, consisting of a combination of activated carbon and ion exchange. All process variants were tested at the same site for their ability to remove PFAS from legacy contaminated groundwater. The target analysis in the pilot tests was supplemented by additional sampling campaigns for TTR-TR\u03b2 CALUX (PFAS CALUX) tests and suspect screening. These results allow a more holistic evaluation of the adsorptive processes. All adsorbents tested were able to reduce the PFOA equivalents in the PFAS CALUX tests. In the suspect screening, a lower number of substances was found in the GAC effluent than in the effluent of the SMC adsorber and the IX. This may indicate less selective removal by the activated carbon filter or leaching from the other adsorbents; further studies may be of interest. In the subsequent cost analysis, it became clear that the choice of a suitable adsorptive process is highly site-dependent and depends on the composition of the PFAS and iPMT, DOC concentration as well as targeted effluent values. UV254 was found to be a potential surrogate parameter for real-time monitoring of PFAS removal by AC and IX.", "keywords": ["Deliverable", "adsorption", "iPMT", "PFAS", "novel adsorbents", "usage rate", "activated carbon", "ion exchange", "Drinking water treatment", "surface modified clay"], "contacts": [{"organization": "R\u00fcckbeil, Fiona Elena, Sperlich, Alexander, Kuckelkorn, Jochen, von Wichert, Anna, Dietrich, Christian, Hartmann, Alica, Behnisch, Peter Alexander, Besselink, Harrie,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14923804"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.14923804", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.14923804", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.14923804"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-02-28T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=activated+carbon&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=activated+carbon&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=activated+carbon&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=activated+carbon&offset=5", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 5, "numberReturned": 5, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-07-28T20:12:22.312393Z"}