Mechanistic insights into the adsorption and advanced oxidation behaviors of chlorotetracycline by iron-doped biochar from co-pyrolysis of steel sludge and wheat straw.

Iron-doped co-pyrolysis biochar FCB3-800 removes chlortetracycline effectively, with adsorption following pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherms.

• Why it matters: Steel mill wastewater sludge contains endogenous iron and heavy metals, and converting it into biochar could reduce leaching while addressing antibiotic pollution risk.
• What they did: Wheat straw was co-pyrolyzed with steel sludge to prepare iron sludge/wheat straw co-pyrolysis biochar, then chlortetracycline adsorption and PDS-driven catalytic degradation were analyzed.
• The result: FCB3-800 catalyzes PDS to generate SO4˙−, ·OH, and O2˙−, enabling chlortetracycline degradation via dehydroxylation, didemethylamino, ring opening, dehydration, C–C bond breaking, demethylation, and amide reactions.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.