Organic and inorganic contaminants removal from water with biochar, a renewable, low cost and sustainable adsorbent – A critical review

• Biochar water and wastewater treatment is reviewed for the first time.
• Applications of slow and fast pyrolysis biochars in water treatment are reviewed.
• Adsorption capacities for organic and inorganic contaminants by biochars are summarized and compared.
• Recommendations for further research are made.

Biochar is used for soil conditioning, remediation, carbon sequestration and water remediation. Biochar application to water and wastewater has never been reviewed previously. This review focuses on recent applications of biochars, produced from biomass pyrolysis (slow and fast), in water and wastewater treatment. Slow and fast pyrolysis biochar production is briefly discussed. The literature on sorption of organic and inorganic contaminants by biochars is surveyed and reviewed. Adsorption capacities for organic and inorganic contaminants by different biochars under different operating conditions are summarized and, where possible, compared. Mechanisms responsible for contaminant remediation are briefly discussed. Finally, a few recommendations for further research have been made in the area of biochar development for application to water filtration.

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