Spent coffee grounds biochar: obtaining and application in the adsorption of phenolic compounds.

• Grant number: 23/03650-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Kelly Johana Dussán Medina
• Grantee: Letícia Vicente Moreno
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/03000-0 - Obtaining high value-added bioproducts from a by-product of the coffee production chain, AP.PNGP.PI
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/16680-5 - Use of biochar derived from coffee grounds for arsenic removal: an innovative approach to water purification, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Carbonaceous materials obtained from organic residues by carbonization under inert atmosphere have stimulated great interest recently because they have a large surface area and, can be applied in a wide field, from environmental remediation to electronics. Thus, the carbonization of organic waste by simple and low-energy procedures can lead to the production of highly active carbon. There are several examples found in the literature. Some characteristic cases deal with the carbonization and subsequent activation of natural products, for example, bamboo leaves or seed husks of tropical plants. Among the different carbonaceous materials, biochar finds a significant amount of applications. According to the International Biochar Initiative, biochar is "a solid material obtained from the carbonization of biomass". Typically, pyrolysis in the absence of air is the most common preparation method, although it can also be produced as a by-product of gasification of biomass for biofuel production. Biochar has many advantages; it is good for the environment, cheap and can be produced from any biomass source. Biochar can be used as a soil remediation agent, as fuel for energy production, reduction of greenhouse gases, among others. Also, it can be used in new applications, as an adsorbent, used in the removal of various pollutants from effluents due to its low cost and simplicity of the process, as an activator in advanced oxidation processes, or even for energy storage as a supercapacitor. These interesting and high-value applications are due to the chemical composition of biochar and its physical-chemical characteristics. In addition to carbon, biochar has a significant amount of oxygen and often contains minerals and small amounts of nitrogen and sulfur. The type of biomass and the pyrolysis conditions are the main factors for the final composition of the biochar. The textural properties of biochar, including its high specific surface and microporosity, make it an ideal compound for removing contaminants through physical adsorption processes. In this context, this project aims to produce biochar from spent coffee ground, as well as support this material with iron and test them for the adsorptive capacities of phenolic compounds present in the hemicellulosic hydrolysates obtained in the pre-treatment stage of the spent coffee ground.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SABINO, NAIRA LINHARES; FOGARIN, HENRIQUE MAZIERO; MURILLO-FRANCO, SARHA LUCIA; BERGAMO, MARIANA OLIVIERA; MORENO, LETICIA VICENTE; DA SILVA, DEBORA DANIELLE VIRGINIO; FUNARI, CRISTIANO SOLEO; DUSSAN, KELLY JOHANA. Investigating the influence of solvents and extraction methods on the efficacy of phenolic compound recovery from spent coffee grounds. Separation and Purification Technology, v. 362, p. 9-pg., 2025-01-25. (23/01752-8, 23/15075-8, 23/09840-3, 22/03000-0, 23/03650-8)