Camila Almeida Melo

Hydrothermal carbonization transforms biomass into value-added material called hydrochar. The release of nutrients (P, N, Ca, Mg, and K) and organic carbon (TOC) from hydrochar in different extractive solutions was investigated in this study. Two sets of hydrochar were produced: (i) hydrochar prepared from sugarcane bagasse and vinasse mixture (BV-HC) and (ii) hydrochar prepared by the addition of H₃PO₄ to this mixture (BVA-HC). Both hydrochar types released significative amounts of nutrient and organic carbon, mainly Ca (5.0 mg g⁻¹) in the mixture (KCl, K₂SO₄, NaOH, 1:1:1) extractive solution and TOC (72.6 mg g⁻¹) in the NaOH extractive solution, for BV-HC. Nutrient release was influenced by pH and ionic strength. The release of P, Ca, and Mg was affected by the presence of insoluble phosphate phases in BVA-HC. The release of nutrients P, N, Ca, Mg, and K and organic carbon demonstrated that hydrochar has potential for soil application purposes.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the adsorption of macronutrients calcium, potassium, magnesium, nitrogen, and phosphorus in two Brazilian tropical peat samples, investigating the effect of pH and determining the kinetics of the adsorption process. Two different Brazilian tropical peat samples were characterized using FTIR, TG, and SEM techniques. Different pH conditions were tested, as well as different mass concentrations of the peats. Differences in the chemical structures of the peat samples directly influenced the adsorptive capacities for the macronutrients. The adsorptive capacity for nitrogen was highest at pH 3, while the best adsorption of calcium and potassium was obtained at pH 6. The best fit to the data was provided by the pseudo-second-order model, which confirmed the rapid adsorption of calcium by both peats.

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a thermochemical process carried out in an aqueous medium. It is capable of converting biomass into a solid, carbon-rich material (hydrochar), and producing a liquid phase (process water) which contains the unreactive feedstock and/or chemical intermediates from the carbonization reaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of process water generated by HTC from vinasse and sugarcane bagasse produced by sugarcane industry and to evaluate its toxicity to both marine (using Artemia salina as a model organism) and the terrestrial environment (through seed germination studies of maize, lettuce, and tomato). The experiments showed that concentrated process water completely inhibited germination of maize, lettuce, and tomato seeds. On the other hand, diluted process water was able to stimulate seedlings of maize and tomato and enhance root and shoot growth. For Artemia, the LC₅₀ indicated that the process water is practically non-toxic; however, morphological changes, especially damages to the digestive tube and antennas of Artemia, were observed for the concentration of 1000 mg C L⁻¹.

The mobility and bioavailability of arsenic (As) are strongly controlled by adsorption/precipitation processes involving metal oxides. However, the organic matter present in the environment, in combination with these oxides, can also play an important role in the cycle of arsenic. This work concerns the interaction between As and two samples of aquatic humic substances (AHS) from tropical rivers. The AHS were extracted as proposed by IHSS, and were characterized by ¹³C NMR. The experiments were conducted with the AHS in natura and enriched with metal cations, with different concentrations of As, and complexation capacity was evaluated at three different pH levels (5.0, 7.0, and 9.0). The AHS samples showed similar chemical compositions. The results suggested that there was no interaction between As(III) and AHS in natura or enriched with Al. Low concentrations of As(V) were bound to AHS in natura. For As(III), the complexation capacity of the AHS enriched with Fe was approximately 48 μmol per g of C, while the values for As(V) were in the range 69–80 μmol per grams of C. Fluorescence spectra showed that changes in Eh affected the complexation reactions of As(V) species with AHS.

The objective of this work was to investigate the interaction of arsenic species (As(III) and As(V)) with tropical peat. Peat samples collected in Brazil were characterized using elemental analysis and ¹³C NMR. Adsorption experiments were performed using different concentrations of As with peat in natura and enriched with Fe or Al, at three different pH levels. Peat samples, in natura or enriched with metals, were analysed before and after adsorption processes using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy. The adsorption kinetics was evaluated, and the data were fitted using the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The results showed that interaction between As and peat was dependent on the levels of organic matter (OM) and the metals (Fe and Al). As(III) was not adsorbed by in natura peat or Al-enriched peat, although small amounts of As(III) were adsorbed by Fe-enriched peat. Adsorption of As(V) by the different peat samples ranged from 21.3 to 52.7 μg g⁻¹. The best fit to the results was obtained using the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the adsorption of As(V) could be described by the Freundlich isotherm model. The results showed that Fe-enriched peat was most effective in immobilizing As(V). FTIR analysis revealed the formation of ternary complexes involving As(V) and peat enriched with metals, suggesting that As(V) was associated with Al or Fe-OM complexes by metal bridging.