Sustainable Activation of Persulfate Using Corn Cob Biochar for Pesticide Degradation in Wastewater Treatment.

ABSTRACT: This study investigates the potential of corn cob-derived biochars produced at 400 °C (BC400) and 700 °C (BC700) as heterogeneous catalysts for the degradation of organochlorine pesticides, lindane and β-endosulfan, through persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). BC700 exhibited enhanced degradation performance compared to BC400, likely due to its greater surface area, higher aromaticity, and lower surface polarity. Under optimized conditions (3.0 mM persulfate, pH 7.02, 0.2 g/L biochar), BC700 enabled the removal of up to 94% of β-endosulfan and 82% of lindane within four hours. Quenching experiments suggested different dominant degradation pathways: singlet oxygen (¹O₂) appeared to play a key role in lindane degradation, while β-endosulfan degradation

SUBMITTER: Marjanovic Srebro T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12735698 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature