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Research Article
Maize Straw-Derived Biochar- Nanobiochar for Sustainable Wastewater Treatment: Mechanistic Insights into Heavy Metal and Nutrient Adsorption
Deshraj Singh Thakur
,
Santosh Narayan Chadar*
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 1, March 2026
Pages:
1-16
Received:
6 November 2025
Accepted:
19 November 2025
Published:
26 January 2026
Abstract: The conversion of agricultural byproducts into advanced nanomaterials offers an ecologically sound strategy for addressing wastewater contamination. This study investigates biochar derived from maize straw, assessing its effectiveness as an adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of heavy metals and nutrient pollutants. The synthesis involved pyrolyzing maize straw under oxygen-limited conditions, followed by ball-milling and mortar pestle to create nanoscale particles, which significantly enhanced its surface properties for chemical reactivity. Extensive characterization using techniques such as XRD, FTIR, BET, SEM–EDS, and zeta potential measurements revealed a material with a highly porous structure, abundant oxygenated functional groups, and disordered graphitic domains. Leveraging these structural insights, batch adsorption experiments were conducted, demonstrating substantial removal capacities for lead, cadmium, copper, ammonium, and phosphate ions. Subsequent kinetic and isotherm modeling indicated that the adsorption mechanism aligned with pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir–Freundlich models, suggesting a chemisorption process and monolayer adsorption onto diverse active sites. Thermodynamic analysis further characterized the process as spontaneous and endothermic. Furthermore, the synthesized biochar exhibited remarkable reusability, maintaining over contaminant removal efficiency across five regeneration cycles, thereby confirming its structural integrity and operational resilience. Collectively, these findings highlight MSB's potential to integrate waste valorization with efficient contaminant sequestration, positioning it as an environmentally engineered solution for advanced wastewater purification. This research makes a significant contribution to the development of cost-effective, renewable, and high-performance adsorbent materials, supporting the broader transition towards circular bioeconomy principles and sustainable environmental innovations.
Abstract: The conversion of agricultural byproducts into advanced nanomaterials offers an ecologically sound strategy for addressing wastewater contamination. This study investigates biochar derived from maize straw, assessing its effectiveness as an adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of heavy metals and nutrient pollutants. The synthesis involved pyroly...
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Research Article
Effects and Mechanisms of Different Modification Methods on the Properties of Waterborne Polyurethane Coatings
Wenbo Gong,
Anyang Shi,
Lulin Sun,
Jiaming Han,
Yutong Lu,
Yufei Liu,
Jianliang Liu,
Jialuo Yin,
Huihui Wang,
Shiwei Liu,
Sai Geng*
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 1, March 2026
Pages:
17-28
Received:
13 February 2026
Accepted:
2 March 2026
Published:
10 March 2026
Abstract: With the increasing awareness of environmental protection, waterborne polyurethane (WPU) coatings have attracted extensive research and industrial attention owing to their low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and eco-friendly characteristics. Nevertheless, conventional WPU coatings suffer from inherent performance limitations such as insufficient mechanical strength, poor chemical resistance and single functionality, which make it difficult to satisfy the increasingly diverse application requirements in modern industries. In this context, the research on multifunctionally modified WPU coatings has become a research hotspot, which is dedicated to optimizing the comprehensive performance of WPU coatings and expanding their application scope through rational design of modification methods and functional components. This paper systematically reviews the latest research progress of five typical modification techniques for WPU coatings, including organic functional monomer modification, nanomaterial modification, bio-based modification, self-healing modification, and integrated antimicrobial/flame-retardant modification. The modification mechanisms, performance regulation effects and application characteristics of each method are elaborated, and the results show that these modification strategies can not only significantly improve the core mechanical properties and chemical resistance of WPU coatings, but also endow them with multi-functional integration, green sustainability and intelligent responsiveness. Furthermore, the practical applications of modified WPU coatings in construction, automotive manufacturing, aerospace and other key fields are summarized, which fully demonstrates their broad market application prospects and industrial development potential. Finally, the key research directions and development trends of WPU coatings are prospected: the development of multifunctional synergistic modification technology, the construction of intelligent responsive systems and the realization of green and sustainable preparation processes will become the core driving forces for the high-quality development of this field. It is expected that multifunctionally modified WPU coatings will occupy an important position in the global high-performance eco-friendly coatings market in the near future and provide technical support for the green transformation of the coating industry.
Abstract: With the increasing awareness of environmental protection, waterborne polyurethane (WPU) coatings have attracted extensive research and industrial attention owing to their low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and eco-friendly characteristics. Nevertheless, conventional WPU coatings suffer from inherent performance limitations such as insuf...
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Research Article
Synthesis and Characterization of Copper (Cu) Nanoparticles from Copper Tailing and Reagent Copper Salt Using Sodium Borohydride as a Reductant
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 1, March 2026
Pages:
29-40
Received:
24 February 2026
Accepted:
16 March 2026
Published:
31 March 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ajn.20261001.13
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Abstract: Mine tailing is the waste materials left after the excavation of valuable mineral resources. It is an environmental pollutant which are often rich in metal ions, can be harnessed and used as a reagent salt substitute to synthesize nanoparticles. The copper tailings can be managed by converting it to copper nanoparticles for various purposes. This research is focused on conversion of waste (excavated copper waste) to wealth (copper nanoparticles). The synthesis of copper nanoparticles from tailings is a novel approach of recovering copper from copper tailings. The aim of this research is to synthesize and characterize copper (Cu) nanoparticles from copper tailings and reagent copper salt using sodium borohydride as a reductant. Chemical reduction method was used in the synthesis of copper nanoparticles from copper tailings and reagent copper salt Experimental approach: Pulverized copper tailing (PCT) particles was digested and the filtrate was analyzed to identify and quantify the cations and anions using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Ion Chromatography (IC) respectively. The digested filtrate was used to synthesize copper nanoparticles by chemical reduction method. Characterization of the synthesized copper nanoparticles was conducted using techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), ThermoGravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Bruner Emmett Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Results: The ICP-OES identified Cu from PCT to be the predominant cation (1355.25 mg/L), and IC identified sulphate (838.50 mg/L) to be the predominant anion. The XRD of the particles are crystalline. TGA results revealed the stability of PCT, Synthesized tailing Cu NPs and reagent Cu NPs at 282.31°C, 297.70°C, and 311.37°C while BET shows the surface area at (157.52 m2/g), (178.54 m2/g), and (189.93 m2/g) respectively. The SEM and TEM revealed spherical particle shape for all the samples. In conclusion: the quality of the synthesized tailing Cu NPs and reagent Cu NPs are almost similar. Also, the PCT can be used as a substitute to reagent copper salt to synthesize Cu NPs. The novelty of this research is comparing Cu NPs synthesized from tailing and reagent salt.
Abstract: Mine tailing is the waste materials left after the excavation of valuable mineral resources. It is an environmental pollutant which are often rich in metal ions, can be harnessed and used as a reagent salt substitute to synthesize nanoparticles. The copper tailings can be managed by converting it to copper nanoparticles for various purposes. This r...
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