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Reactivity of Pyrogenic Carbonaceous Matter (PCM) in mediating environmental reactions: Current knowledge and future trends

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Abstract

Pyrogenic Carbonaceous Matter (PCM; e.g., black carbon, biochar, and activated carbon) are solid residues from incomplete combustion of fossil fuel or biomass. They are traditionally viewed as inert adsorbents for sequestering contaminants from the aqueous phase or providing surfaces for microbes to grow. In this account, we reviewed the recently discovered reactivity of PCM in promoting both chemical and microbial synergies that are important in pollutant transformation, biogeochemical processes of redox-active elements, and climate change mitigation with respect to the interaction between biochar and nitrous oxide (N2O). Moreover, we focused on our group’s work in the PCM-enhanced abiotic transformation of nitrogenous and halogenated pollutants and conducted in-depth analysis of the reaction pathways. To understand what properties of PCM confer its reactivity, our group pioneered the use of PCM-like polymers, namely conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), to mimic the performance of PCM. This approach allows for the controlled incorporation of specific surface properties (e.g., quinones) into the polymer network during the polymer synthesis. As a result, the relationship between specific characteristics of PCM and its reactivity in facilitating the decay of a model pollutant was systematically studied in our group’s work. The findings summarized in this account help us to better understand an overlooked environmental process where PCM synergistically interacts with various environmental reagents such as hydrogen sulfide and water. Moreover, the knowledge gained in these studies could inform the design of a new generation of reactive carbonaceous materials with tailored properties that are highly efficient in contaminant removal.

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Acknowledgements

W.X. and Z.L. thank the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award (CBET-1752220) for the financial support. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. This work is also supported (in part) by the US Department of Defense, through the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP ER19-1239). This work has not been subject to review by SERDP and therefore does not necessarily reflect their views and no official endorsement should be inferred.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA

    Wenqing Xu, Mark L. Segall & Zhao Li

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  1. Wenqing Xu
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  2. Mark L. Segall
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  3. Zhao Li
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Correspondence to Wenqing Xu.

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Highlights

• Pyrogenic Carbonaceous Matter (PCM) promotes both chemical and microbial synergies.

• PCM-enhanced abiotic transformation pathways of organic pollutants are discussed.

• Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) can mimic the performance of PCM.

• CMPs offer a platform that allows for systematic variation of individual properties.

Dr. Wenqing Xu is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Villanova University, USA. Xu received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in environmental engineering from Nankai University, China (2007), Johns Hopkins University, USA (2009), and Yale University, USA (2014) in environmental engineering, respectively. She is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award (2018).

Mark L. Segall received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Drexel University, USA. He joined the research group of Dr. Wenqing Xu at Villanova University as a postdoc associate in 2019. Currently, he is working on a SERDP project, which focuses on optimizing carbon amendments that simultaneously adsorb and transform legacy and insensitive high explosives.

Zhao Li received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in polymer science and engineering from Sichuan University, China. He started his Ph.D., supervised by Dr. Wenqing Xu at Villanova University, USA in 2016 and is currently working on synthesizing innovative materials for environmental applications.

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Xu, W., Segall, M.L. & Li, Z. Reactivity of Pyrogenic Carbonaceous Matter (PCM) in mediating environmental reactions: Current knowledge and future trends. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 14, 86 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1265-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1265-6

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