While traditional waste management often relies on the disposal or incineration of agricultural and forestry waste, the authors explain that these practices contribute to environmental pollution while misusing biomass—a valuable resource with significant reuse potential.
The researchers point out that agricultural cultivation and harvesting generate an abundance of waste, such as stones, shells, and straw, which can be repurposed for wastewater treatment.
According to the study, waste biomass can be utilized in three primary ways: as a raw adsorbent after ambient drying and grinding, as a modified bio-based sorbent, or as a source material for synthesizing activated carbon through carbonization.
The authors highlight that while many publications have examined the removal of pollutants like metals, pesticides, and dyes, more “realistic studies” are required to evaluate how these materials perform with natural environmental samples.
Ultimately, the researchers argue that an integrated-engineering approach using locally produced bio-waste addresses multiple issues at once: it tackles water contamination, decreases the total amount of solid waste, and reduces gas emissions caused by the transportation and disposal of waste.
Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceja.2021.100239
Reference:
Karić, N., Maia, A. S., Teodorović, A., Atanasova, N., Langergraber, G., Crini, G., Ribeiro, A. R. L., & Đolić, M. (2022). Bio-waste valorisation: Agricultural wastes as biosorbents for removal of (in)organic pollutants in wastewater treatment. Chemical Engineering Journal Advances, 9, 100239.