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Biochar from fungiculture waste for adsorption of endocrine disruptors in water

Summary

Researchers developed a new material called biochar from leftover mushroom growing waste that can effectively remove harmful hormones from water. By heating the mushroom waste to 600°C, they created a porous material with a large surface area that can trap and remove synthetic estrogen and progesterone from contaminated water. Testing showed this biochar removed over 95% of these hormones, making it a promising sustainable solution for cleaning water supplies.

Background

Endocrine disruptors such as 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) and progesterone are microcontaminants found in water resources that affect ecosystem and human health. Agricultural residues like spent mushroom substrate (SMS) represent an ecofriendly alternative for water treatment. Biochar produced from biomass pyrolysis has shown promise for removing various contaminants from water.

Objective

To produce biochar from spent mushroom substrate at different pyrolysis temperatures and evaluate its effectiveness for removing endocrine disruptors (EE2 and progesterone) from water using batch and fixed-bed adsorption methods.

Results

Biochar produced at 600°C showed the best removal efficiency with 95.87% for EE2 and 97.26% for progesterone. Maximum adsorption capacity was 138.98 mg EE2/g biochar and 232.64 mg progesterone/g biochar. Fixed-bed tests showed removal capacity exceeding 80% for both contaminants. SEM revealed higher porosity and surface area (246 m²/g) at 600°C compared to lower temperatures.

Conclusion

Biochar from spent mushroom substrate pyrolyzed at 600°C proved to be a viable and effective adsorbent for removing endocrine disruptors from water. The material demonstrated superior adsorption capacity compared to other biochar types reported in literature, offering a sustainable solution utilizing agricultural waste for water treatment with circular economy benefits.
  • Published in:Scientific Reports,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: PMID: 35443767, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10165-4
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