Electrically Conductive and Antimicrobial Agro-Food Waste Biochar Functionalized with Zinc Oxide Particles.

ABSTRACT: Carbonaceous materials derived from biomass have been used as sustainable platforms for the growth of ZnO particles aiming the production of functional composite fillers. Kidney-bean pods were pyrolyzed by applying an experimental design that demonstrates that the specific surface area (S_BET) of biochar is improved with increasing pyrolysis temperature combined with a short air-oxidation time. Meanwhile, the graphitization degree and the electrical conductivity (EC) of biochars were negatively affected by increasing the air-oxidation time. The biochar sample with the higher EC and the one with the higher S_BET were selected to be functionalized with ZnO particles by a solvothermal methodology, obtaining composites with an EC and S_BET properties superior to the ZnO-rGO composite, in addition to a similar antibacterial activity. The developed ZnO-biochar composite structures, which are more ecological and biocompatible than the ZnO composites derived from graphene sheets, can be applied as electrically conductive and active fillers.

SUBMITTER: Alves Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9319753 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature