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Yusralina Yusof

Bio: Yusralina Yusof is an academic researcher from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biochar & Palm kernel. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 3 publications receiving 24 citations.

Papers
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an overview of the current development and improvement on microwave-derived biochar, including chemical treatment methods and applications, as well as a review on works involving the chemically treated microwave-based biochar.
Abstract: Biochar, a carbon-rich material, can be produced via microwave pyrolysis, as a more energy and cost saving method compared to conventional externally heated pyrolysis. Biochar has versatile applications, for example, for soil amendment purpose and pollutant removal from wastewater. Chemical treatment has been proven to improve the physical and chemical properties of biochar for better applicability. Thus, extensive amount of research has been conducted on chemical treatment of conventional biochar, and several review articles have discussed published works on the chemically treated conventional biochar. However, there has been no review on works involving the chemically treated microwave-derived biochar, by far. This paper presents an overview of the current development and improvement on chemical treatment methods and applications of microwave-derived biochar.

46 citations

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TL;DR: In this article, the properties and potential application of Mg-PKS biochar composite for methylene blue solution (MB) adsorption were investigated via central composite design, response surface methodology.
Abstract: This study investigates the properties and potential application of Mg-PKS biochar composite for methylene blue solution (MB) adsorption. The Mg-PKS biochar composite was developed from palm kernel shell biochar via steam activation followed by MgSO4 treatment and carbonization. The effect of process parameters such as solution pH (4-10), contact time (30-90 min) and adsorbent dosage (0.1-0.5 g) were investigated via central composite design, response surface methodology. Results revealed that the Mg-PKS biochar composite has irregular shapes pore structure from SEM analysis, a surface area of 674 m2g-1 and average pore diameters of 7.2195 μm based on BET analysis. RSM results showed that the optimum adsorption of MB onto Mg-biochar composite was at pH 10, 30 min contact time and 0.5 g/100 mL dosage with a removal efficiency of 98.50%. In conclusion, Mg treatment is a potential alternative to other expensive chemical treatment methods for biochar upgrading to the adsorbent.

3 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of ethanol (EtOH), methanol (MeOH), and magnesium (Mg) treatment on adsorbent properties of palm kernel shell (PKS) biochar was investigated.
Abstract: Introduction: Biochar’s adsorbent attributes, for instance, surface area, porous structure, surface functionality, and adsorption capacity, can be enhanced via suitable chemical modification. Objective: This work aimed to study the effect of ethanol (EtOH), methanol (MeOH), and magnesium (Mg) treatment on adsorbent properties of palm kernel shell (PKS) biochar. Methods: The PKS biochar was obtained through fast carbonization in a rotary kiln (800 oC, 10 min) followed by steam activation (8 h). Both the EtOH and MeOH treated biochar were afforded via EtOH and MeOH treatment of PKS biochar, respectively, in the presence of HCl (6 h), followed by rinsing, filtering, and oven-drying. Mg treated biochar was obtained by soaking the PKS biochar with MgSO4.7H2O at 30 oC for 60 h. The EtOH, MeOH, and Mg treated biochars were characterized via proximate analysis, functional group analysis, surface area, and pore volume analyses. A batch adsorption study was conducted for adsorption of methylene blue (MB) by each EtOH, MeOH, and Mg treated biochar, respectively. Results: Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis indicated that carbonization and chemical treatment has successfully enhanced the surface area with raw PKS (0.848 m2g-1), PKS biochar (592 m2g-1), EtOH-treated biochar (647 m2g-1), MeOH-treated biochar (663 m2g-1), and Mg-treated biochar (674 m2g-1). Batch adsorption studies showed that the highest methylene blue (MB) removal percentage for all studied biochar occurred at an initial concentration of 7 ppm (PKS biochar: 93.12%, EtOH-treated PKS biochar: 94.79%, MeOH-treated PKS biochar: 95.79%, and Mg-treated PKS biochar: 98.51%). Conclusion: The EtOH, MeOH, and Mg treated PKS biochar gave high MB removal and thus, could potentially serve as efficient adsorbents for removal of dyes from wastewater.

1 citations


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive review of physical activation/modification strategies and their effects on the physicochemical properties of biochar and its applications in environment-related fields is presented.
Abstract: Abstract Biochar is a solid by-product of thermochemical conversion of biomass to bio-oil and syngas. It has a carbonaceous skeleton, a small amount of heteroatom functional groups, mineral matter, and water. Biochar’s unique physicochemical structures lead to many valuable properties of important technological applications, including its sorption capacity. Indeed, biochar’s wide range of applications include carbon sequestration, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, waste management, renewable energy generation, soil amendment, and environmental remediation. Aside from these applications, new scientific insights and technological concepts have continued to emerge in the last decade. Consequently, a systematic update of current knowledge regarding the complex nature of biochar, the scientific and technological impacts, and operational costs of different activation strategies are highly desirable for transforming biochar applications into industrial scales. This communication presents a comprehensive review of physical activation/modification strategies and their effects on the physicochemical properties of biochar and its applications in environment-related fields. Physical activation applied to the activation of biochar is discussed under three different categories: I) gaseous modification by steam, carbon dioxide, air, or ozone; II) thermal modification by conventional heating and microwave irradiation; and III) recently developed modification methods using ultrasound waves, plasma, and electrochemical methods. The activation results are discussed in terms of different physicochemical properties of biochar, such as surface area; micropore, mesopore, and total pore volume; surface functionality; burn-off; ash content; organic compound content; polarity; and aromaticity index. Due to the rapid increase in the application of biochar as adsorbents, the synergistic and antagonistic effects of activation processes on the desired application are also covered.

183 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It was concluded that there are no best activating agents; rather, each agent reacts uniquely with a precursor, and the optimum choice depends on the target adsorbent.
Abstract: The choice of activating agent for the thermochemical production of high-grade activated carbon (AC) from agricultural residues and wastes, such as feedstock, requires innovative methods. Overcoming energy losses, and using the best techniques to minimise secondary contamination and improve adsorptivity, are critical. Here, we review the importance and influence of activating agents on agricultural waste: how they react and compare conventional and microwave processes. In particular, adsorbent pore characteristics, surface chemistry interactions and production modes were compared with traditional methods. It was concluded that there are no best activating agents; rather, each agent reacts uniquely with a precursor, and the optimum choice depends on the target adsorbent. Natural chemicals can also be as effective as inorganic activating agents, and offer the advantages that they are usually safe, and readily available. The use of a microwave, as an innovative pyrolysis approach, can enhance the activation process within a duration of 1–4 h and temperature of 500–1200 °C, after which the yield and efficiency decline rapidly due to molecular breakdown. This study also examines the biomass milling process requirements; the influence of the dielectric properties, along with the effect of washing; and experimental setup challenges. The microwave setup system, biomass feed rate, product delivery, inert gas flow rate, reactor design and recovery lines are all important factors in the microwave activation process, and contribute to the overall efficiency of AC preparation. However, a major issue is a lack of large-scale industrial demonstration units for microwave technology.

165 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work detailedly reviews the synthesis methods of MNP@BC and the effects of preparation conditions on the properties of MNPs@BC during the preparation processes, and summarizes the effect of various parameters on the removal of contaminants from water, the effect from water remediation on soil properties, and the removal/remediation mechanisms of the contaminants by MNPS@BC in water and soil.

145 citations

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TL;DR: The application of biochars for the remediation of water and soils contaminated with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) has seen a recent growing interest as discussed by the authors, where the mechanisms of chemical immobilization are discussed.
Abstract: The application of biochars for the remediation of water and soils contaminated with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) has seen a recent growing interest. The mechanisms of chemical immobilization ...

139 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the production of algal biochar in a cost-effective and environmental-friendly method and to reduce the environmental pollution associated with bioenergy generation, achieving zero emission energy production.

83 citations