Technology Profile
Design of the PROTECT team’s biochar-based water treatment system. The anode, made of metal oxides, generates electrons and oxygen gas, which then react with the biochar-based cathode to produce hydrogen peroxide. (Image adapted from Kim et al., 2023)
Researchers at Northeastern University Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center are exploring the use of biochar made from banana peels to remove organic contaminants from water. Biochar is a porous, cost-effective, and eco-friendly form of charcoal that is created by burning organic matter in an oxygen-free environment.
The Northeastern SRP Center studies environmental contaminants in Puerto Rico, which has a hot, humid climate with plentiful fruit agriculture and a need for low-cost water treatment options that can be utilized in rural areas. Banana peels were selected to be used for biochar due to their abundance on the island. So far, the biochar has been effective in removing ibuprofen, bromophenol blue dye, and Congo red dye from water in laboratory settings. The team is also experimenting with different production methods, adjusting furnace temperatures and biochar mass, to optimize its effectiveness in purifying water.
| Technology | Researchers at the Northeastern SRP Center manufactured a biochar by drying banana peels to remove moisture, heating them in a furnace, cooling to room temperature, and crushing them through a fine mesh. Then, they created an electrochemical device called cathode by enveloping the biochar in a stainless-steel mesh. As water flows through the cathode, the biochar facilitates the production of hydrogen peroxide, which then generates hydroxyl radicals, chemicals that are effective at reacting with organic compounds and removing them from water. |
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| Innovation | Traditional cathodes are created from metals, which are often expensive and run the risk of dissolving heavy metals into water. Cathodes containing biochar made from burning plant waste have been shown to produce hydrogen peroxide just as efficiently and with fewer risks. Using biochar made from banana peels for water treatment is a novel technique. While it has been successful in enriching soil nutrients, its application in water treatment is new. Island communities in Puerto Rico could take advantage of the abundance of bananas by using the peels to locally create biochar and use it in their water treatment processes, offering a cost-effective and sustainable method to remove organic contaminants from water. |
| Contaminant and Media | Organic compounds in water. |
| Technology Readiness Level | TRL 4 – Component validated in laboratory environment. |
| Principal Investigator | Akram N. Alshawabkeh |
| Institution | Northeastern University |
| Grant Number | P42ES017198 |
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