Grapefruit-Inspired Polymeric Capsule with Hierarchical Microstructure: Advanced Nanomaterial Carrier Platform for Energy Storage, Drug Delivery, Catalysis, and Environmental Applications.

Efficient support materials are crucial for maximizing the efficacy of nanomaterials in various applications such as energy storage, drug delivery, catalysis, and environmental remediation. However, traditional supports often hinder nanomaterial performance due to their high weight ratio and limited manageability, leading to issues like tube blocking and secondary pollution. To address this, a novel grapefruit-inspired polymeric capsule (GPC) as a promising carrier platform is introduced. The millimeter-scale GPC features a hydrophilic shell and an internal hierarchical microstructure with 80% void volume, providing ample space for encapsulating diverse nanomaterials including metals, polymers, metal-organic frameworks, and silica. Through liquid-phase bottom-up methods, it is successfully loaded Fe2O3, SiO2, polyacrylic acid, and Prussian blue nanomaterials onto the GPC, achieving high mass ratio (1776, 488, 898, and 634 wt.%, respectively). The GPC shell prevents nanomaterial leakage and the influx of suspended solids, while its internal framework enhances structural stability and mass transfer rates. With long-term storage stability, high carrying capacity, and versatile applicability, the GPC significantly enhances the field applicability of nanomaterials.

Efficient recovery and recycling/upcycling of precious metals using hydrazide-functionalized star-shaped polymers.

There is a growing demand for adsorption technologies for recovering and recycling precious metals (PMs) in various industries. Unfortunately, amine-functionalized polymers widely used as metal adsorbents are ineffective at recovering PMs owing to their unsatisfactory PM adsorption performance. Herein, a star-shaped, hydrazide-functionalized polymer (S-PAcH) is proposed as a readily recoverable standalone adsorbent with high PM adsorption performance. The compact chain structure of S-PAcH containing numerous hydrazide groups with strong reducibility promotes PM adsorption by enhancing PM reduction while forming large, collectable precipitates. Compared with previously reported PM adsorbents, commercial amine polymers, and reducing agents, S-PAcH exhibited significantly higher adsorption capacity, selectivity, and kinetics toward three PMs (gold, palladium, and platinum) with model, simulated, and real-world feed solutions. The superior PM recovery performance of S-PAcH was attributed to its strong reduction capability combined with its chemisorption mechanism. Moreover, PM-adsorbed S-PAcH could be refined into high-purity PMs via calcination, directly utilized (upcycled) as catalysts for dye reduction, or regenerated for reuse, demonstrating its high practical feasibility. Our proposed PM adsorbents would have a tremendous impact on various industrial sectors from the perspectives of environmental protection and sustainable development.

Unveiling interfacial interaction between antimony oxyanions and boehmite nanorods: Spectroscopic evidence and density functional theory analysis.

In natural environments, the fate and migratory behavior of metalloid contaminants such as antimony (Sb) significantly depend on the interfacial reactivity of mineral surfaces. Although boehmite (γ-AlOOH) is widely observed in (sub)surface environments, its underlying interaction mechanism with Sb oxyanions at the molecular scale remains unclear. Considering Sb-contaminated environmental conditions in this study, we prepared boehmite under weakly acidic conditions for use in the systematic investigation of interfacial interactions with Sb(III) and Sb(V). The as-synthesized boehmite showed a nanorod morphology and comprised four crystal facets in the following order: 48.4% (010), 27.1% (101), 15.0% (001), and 9.5% (100). The combined results of spectroscopic analyses and theoretical calculations revealed that Sb(III) formed hydrogen bonding outer-sphere complexation on the (100), (010), and (001) facets and that Sb(V) preferred to form bidentate inner-sphere complexation via mononuclear edge-sharing configuration on the (100), (001), and (101) facets and binuclear corner-sharing configuration on the (010) facet. These findings indicate that the facet-mediated thermodynamic stability of the surface complexation determines the interaction affinity toward the Sb species. This work is the first to document the contribution of boehmite to (sub)surface media, improving the ability to forecast the fate and behavior of Sb oxyanions at mineral-water interfaces.

Visible-light-induced self-propelled nanobots against nanoplastics.

The accumulation of plastic debris in aquatic organisms has raised serious concerns about the potential health implications of their incorporation into the food chain. However, conventional water remediation techniques are incapable of effectively removing nanoplastics (NPs) smaller than 200 nm, which can have harmful effect on animal and human health. Herein, we demonstrate the "on-the-fly" capture of NPs through their enlargement (approximately 4,100 times) using self-propelled nanobots composed of a metal-organic framework. Under visible-light irradiation, the iron hexacyanoferrate (FeHCF) nanobot exhibits fuel-free motion by electrostatically adsorbing NPs. This strategy can contribute to reducing plastic pollution in the environment, which is a significant environmental challenge. Light-induced intervalence charge transfer in the FeHCF nanobot lattice induces bipolarity on the nanobot surface, leading to the binding of negatively charged NPs. The local electron density in the lattice then triggers self-propulsion, thereby inducing agglomeration of FeHCF@NP complexes to stabilize their metastable state. The FeHCF nanobot exhibits a maximum removal capacity of 3,060 mg∙g-1 and rate constant of 0.69 min-1, which are higher than those recorded for materials reported in the literature.

Nitrogen-Doped Titanium Carbide (Ti3 C2 Tx ) MXene Nanosheet Stack For Long-Term Stability and Efficacy in Au and Ag Recovery.

The development of efficient adsorbents for the practical recovery of precious metals from electronic waste is vital to advanced energy/environment industries. Ti3 C2 Tx MXene-based materials are promising adsorbents for aqueous environments; however, the highly defective and super hydrophilic nature of the MXene surface hinders its practical applications. Here, we report that nitrogen-doped MXene (N-MXene) nanosheet stacks, prepared via high-energy planetary ball milling under N2 purging, exhibited a long-term stable and excellent recovery capability for Au and Ag ions via the nitrogenation of defective vacancies. Notably, these microscale nanosheets could facilitate the sustainable production of Au and Ag from secondary sources, exhibiting a high recovery rate and capability (1198 mg g-1 for Au and 1528 mg g-1 for Ag), long-term stable storability (21 d), and high selectivity (Kd of 1.67 × 106 for Au and 2.07 × 107 for Ag). Furthermore, the reversible redox chemistry of N-MXene facilitated its repeated use in adsorption/desorption cycles.

Synergistic effect in simultaneous removal of cationic and anionic heavy metals by nitrogen heteroatom doped hydrochar from aqueous solutions.

Industrial wastewater typically contains both cationic and anionic heavy metals; therefore, their simultaneous removal must be considered to ensure environmental sustainability. Herein, nitrogen heteroatom (N) doped hydrochar derived from corncob was prepared via facile NH4Cl-aided hydrothermal carbonization and used for the simultaneous adsorption of divalent copper (Cu(II)) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in aqueous solutions. During hydrothermal carbonization, NH4Cl played a vital role as the porogen and N dopant, which contributed to the efficient adsorption affinity toward coexisting Cu(II) and Cr(VI). The theoretical maximum adsorption capacities of the N-doped hydrochar were determined to be 1.223 mmol/g for Cu(II) and 1.995 mmol/g for Cr(VI), which were much better than those of the pristine hydrochar. Furthermore, in the binary-component system, the synergistic effect between Cu(II) and Cr(VI) significantly promoted the adsorption affinity of N-doped hydrochar, resulting in adsorption capacities for Cu(II) and Cr(VI) 9.48 and 1.92 times higher than those of the single-component system, respectively. A series of adsorption experiments and spectroscopic analyses demonstrated that multiple mechanisms, including electrostatic shielding, cation bridging, and redox reactions, mutually contributed to the synergistic effect in the adsorption of coexisting Cu(II) and Cr(VI). Overall, the N-doped hydrochar proved to be effective in simultaneously removing both cationic and anionic heavy metal pollutants.

Performance Differences of Hexavalent Chromium Adsorbents Caused by Graphene Oxide Drying Process.

In this study, the influence of drying conditions on amine (-NH3) functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) was evaluated, and the hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) adsorption efficiency of the prepared materials was compared. 3-[2-(2-aminoehtylamino) ethylamino]propyl-trimethoxysilane (3N) was used for amine functionalization. The synthesized materials were analyzed by SEM, BET, TGA, XPS, and EA. TGA results showed that the solution-GO (SGO) was functionalized by more 3N molecules than freeze-dried GO (FDGO) and oven-dried GO (ODGO). Additionally, XPS analysis also showed that the ratio of N/C and Si/C was relatively high in SGO than FDGO and ODGO. The maximum adsorption capacity of SGO, FDGO, and ODGO for Cr(VI) was 258.48, 212.46, and 173.45 mg g-1, respectively. These results indicate that it is better to use SGO without drying processes for efficient amine functionalization and Cr(VI) removal. However, when the drying process is required, freeze-drying is better than oven-drying.

Most suitable amino silane molecules for surface functionalization of graphene oxide toward hexavalent chromium adsorption.

Adsorption is a simple and effective method for the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from contaminated water. Several amino silane-graphene oxide (GO) composites with different species of amino groups (pN-GO, psN-GO, and pssN-GO; p: primary, s: secondary, N: amine) were evaluated to investigate their adsorption capacity and the effects of primary and secondary amines on Cr(VI) adsorption. We conducted a quantitative analysis to reveal the difference between primary and secondary amines in terms of Cr(VI) removal efficiency. A synergic effect was observed between the neighboring secondary amines in pssN-GO. From the Langmuir model prediction, we found that the composite with pssN-GO exhibited the highest maximum adsorption capacity (260.74 mg/g), followed by those with psN-GO (208.22 mg/g) and pN-GO (189.47 mg/g). Monolayer adsorption was more dominant when using pssN-GO, with the pseudo-second-order model best fitting the kinetic experiment results, whereas multilayer adsorption was dominant when using psN-GO and pN-GO.

Ultrasound-assisted heterogeneous Fenton-like process for bisphenol A removal at neutral pH using hierarchically structured manganese dioxide/biochar nanocomposites as catalysts.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an important emerging contaminant with endocrine-disrupting potential that has frequently been detected in aquatic environments. In this study, two types of hierarchically structured manganese dioxide/biochar nanocomposites (MnO2/BCs) were prepared for the first time via facile hydrothermal synthesis. The hydrothermal reaction was maintained at 100 °C for 6 h or 12 h, after which an ultrasound-assisted heterogeneous Fenton-like process was used to catalyze the removal of BPA under neutral pH condition. The characterization results indicated that MnO2 nanoparticles were successfully formed on the nanocomposite surfaces and had flower-like (δ-MnO2, 6 h) and urchin-like (α-MnO2, 12 h) morphology. This enabled a significant improvement in the catalytic activity of BPA removal by the reversible redox reaction. A series of experiments confirmed that the crystalline properties of the nanocomposites affected their catalytic activity. In particular, the α-MnO2/BCs exhibited catalytic activity in the ultrasound-assisted heterogeneous Fenton-like process and completely removed BPA within 20 min under the following conditions: [BPA]0 = 100 µM; [H2O2]0 = 10 mM; [catalyst]0 = 0.5 g/L; ultrasound = 20 kHz (130 W) at 40% amplitude; pH = 7.0 ±â€¯0.1; and temperature = 25 ±â€¯1 °C. This efficiency may have been due to the synergistic effect of ultrasound and α-MnO2/BCs, which simultaneously induce the effective generation of reactive free radicals and increase the mass transfer rate at the solid-liquid interface. Overall, these results demonstrated that hierarchical urchin-like α-MnO2/BCs have significant potential as an efficient and low-cost catalyst in ultrasound-assisted heterogeneous Fenton-like systems.

Statistical optimization of preparing marine macroalgae derived activated carbon/iron oxide magnetic composites for sequestering acetylsalicylic acid from aqueous media using response surface methodologys.

This study focuses on the optimization of synthetic conditions for preparing marine macroalgae-derived activated carbon/iron oxide magnetic composites (AC/Fe-MC) and its feasibility for the removal of acetylsalicylic acid from aqueous media. Response surface methodology coupled with a 3k Box-Behnken design was applied to determine the optimal conditions (independent variables: impregnation ratio, activation temperature, and activation time) towards two response variables (production yield and adsorption capacity). According to the analysis of variance and numerical desirability function approaches, the optimal conditions were impregnation ratio of 2.62:1, activation temperature of 727 °C, and activation time of 129 min. Physicochemical properties of the prepared composite revealed that AC/Fe-MC possesses a porous structure and superparamagnetic property, which substantially contributed to the effective adsorption capacity and separation from the solution using an external magnetic field. Adsorption kinetics and equilibrium studies delineated that the pseudo-second-order and Sips isotherm models represent the adsorption behavior of AC/Fe-MC accurately. The maximum adsorption capacity of AC/Fe-MC was found to be around 127 mg/g at 10 °C, as fitted by Sips isotherm model, which is higher than that of other adsorbents reported in the literature. Intraparticle diffusion and Boyd models suggested that the adsorption process was mainly controlled by film diffusion mechanism. Lastly, thermodynamic and isosteric heat of adsorption analyses demonstrated that the adsorption process was controlled by physisorption and exothermic mechanisms.

Strong chromate-adsorbent based on pyrrolic nitrogen structure: An experimental and theoretical study on the adsorption mechanism.

Chromate is considered a toxic contaminant in various water sources because it poses a risk to animal and human health. To meet the stringent limits for chromium in water and wastewater, pyrrolic nitrogen structure was investigated as a chromate adsorbent for aqueous solutions, employing a polypyrrole coating on carbon black. The characteristics of the adsorbent were analyzed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Chromate was adsorbed as both Cr(III) and Cr(VI). The chromate adsorption capacity increased (from 50.84 to 174.81 mg/g) with increasing amounts of pyrrole monomers (from 50 to 86%) in the adsorbent. The adsorption capacity was well-correlated with the pyrrolic nitrogen content (from 2.06 to 6.57 at%) in the adsorbent, rather than other types of nitrogen. The optimized adsorption capacity (174.81 mg/g in the equilibrium batch experiment and 211.10 mg/g at an initial pH of 3) was far superior to those of conventional adsorbents. We investigated the mechanism behind this powerful chromate adsorption on pyrrolic nitrogen via physical/chemical analyses of the pH-dependent adsorption behavior, supported by first-principles calculation based on density functional theory. We found that Cr(III) and Cr(VI) adsorption followed different reaction paths. Cr(III) adsorption occurred in two sequential steps: 1) A Jones oxidation reaction (JOR)-like reaction of Cr(VI) with pyrrolic N that generates Cr(III), and 2) Cr(III) adsorption on the deprotonated pyrrolic N through Cr(III)-N covalent bonding. Cr(VI) adsorption followed an alternative path: hydrogen-bonding to the deprotonation-free pyrrolic N sites. The pH-dependent fractional deprotonation of the pyrrolic N sites by the JOR-like reaction in the presence of chromate played an important role in the adsorption.

Facile one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of cubic spinel-type manganese ferrite/biochar composites for environmental remediation of heavy metals from aqueous solutions.

This study reports the facile synthesis of cubic spinel-type manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4)/biochar (MF/BC) composites via a one-pot hydrothermal technique. Multiple characterizations demonstrated that the MnFe2O4 spinel nanoparticles were successfully grown on the biochar, which provides magnetic separability with superparamagnetic behavior and effective adsorption performance for heavy metals (Pb(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II)). The adsorption kinetics and isotherms can be well described with a pseudo-second-order and Sips isotherm models, respectively. Comparative adsorption in multi-heavy metal systems (binary and ternary) indicated that the adsorption affinity of MF/BC composites toward heavy metals followed the sequence of Pb(II) > Cu(II) > Cd(II), which followed the order of their covalent indexes. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the adsorption process was endothermic and primarily governed by physisorption. This study provides a feasible and simple approach for the preparation of high-performance materials for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated wastewater in a cost-effective manner.

Hydrothermal synthesis of hierarchically structured birnessite-type MnO2/biochar composites for the adsorptive removal of Cu(II) from aqueous media.

In this study, hierarchical birnessite-type MnO2/biochar composites (δ-MnO2/BCs) were synthesized by a hydrothermal technique, and their Cu(II) removal performance was examined in aqueous solution. Morphological characterization confirmed that a three-dimensional flower-like structure of δ-MnO2 was formed, which results in effective adsorption affinity towards Cu(II). The effects of solution pH, adsorbent dosage, and ionic strength on the adsorption behavior of the prepared materials were systemically investigated. The adsorption kinetics indicated that Cu(II) adsorption onto δ-MnO2/BCs follows a pseudo-second-order model. Analysis of possible adsorption/diffusion mechanisms suggested that the adsorption process is controlled by both film and pore diffusion. The adsorption isotherms fit closely to the Sips isotherm model, and the theoretical maximum adsorption capacities of Cu(II) on the synthesized δ-MnO2/BCs are approximately 124, 154, 199, and 230 mg/g at 15, 25, 35, and 45 °C, respectively. Adsorption-desorption studies demonstrated the recyclability of the δ-MnO2/BCs for the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions.

Synthesis of novel magnesium ferrite (MgFe2O4)/biochar magnetic composites and its adsorption behavior for phosphate in aqueous solutions.

In this work, magnesium ferrite (MgFe2O4)/biochar magnetic composites (MFB-MCs) were prepared and utilized to remove phosphate from aqueous solutions. MFB-MCs were synthesized via co-precipitation of Fe and Mg ions onto a precursor, followed by pyrolysis. Characterization results confirmed that MgFe2O4 nanoparticles with a cubic spinel structure were successfully embedded in the biochar matrix, and this offered magnetic separability with superparamagnetic behavior and enabled higher phosphate adsorption performance than that of pristine biochar and sole MgFe2O4 nanoparticles. Batch experiments indicated that phosphate adsorption on the MFB-MCs is highly dependent on the pH, initial phosphate concentration, and temperature, while it was less affected by ionic strength. Analysis of activation and thermodynamic parameters as well as the isosteric heat of adsorption demonstrated that the phosphate adsorption is an endothermic and physisorption process. Lastly, highly efficient recyclability of the MFB-MCs suggested that they are a promising adsorbent for phosphate removal from wastewater.

Bacterial community analysis in upflow multilayer anaerobic reactor treating high-solids organic wastes.

A novel anaerobic digestion configuration, the upflow multi-layer anaerobic reactor (UMAR), was developed to treat high-solids organic wastes. The UMAR was hypothesized to form multi-layer along depth due to the upflow plug flow; use of a recirculation system and a rotating distributor and baffles aimed to assist treating high-solids influent. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and methane (CH4 ) production rate were 89% and 2.10 L CH4 /L/d, respectively, at the peak influent COD concentration (110.4 g/L) and organic loading rate (7.5 g COD/L/d). The 454 pyrosequencing results clearly indicated heterogeneous distribution of bacterial communities at different vertical locations (upper, middle, and bottom) of the UMAR. Firmicutes was the dominant (>70%) phylum at the middle and bottom parts, while Deltaproteobacteria and Chloroflexi were only found in the upper part. Potential functions of the bacteria were discussed to speculate on their roles in the anaerobic performance of the UMAR system. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:1226-1234, 2017.

Adsorption of phosphate from aqueous solution using electrochemically modified biochar calcium-alginate beads: Batch and fixed-bed column performance.

Batch and continuous fixed-bed column studies were investigated using electrochemically modified biochar calcium-alginate beads (EMB-CABs) as an adsorbent for the removal of phosphate from aqueous solutions. Batch experiments revealed that the phosphate adsorption behavior of EMB-CABs and its structural characteristics were highly dependent on pH condition. Also, kinetics and equilibrium isotherms studies demonstrated that the experimental data correlated well with the pseudo-second-order and Sips isotherm models, respectively. The effects of different operating parameters such as bed height, initial phosphate concentration, and flow rate were investigated in a continuous fixed-bed column, and the experimental data were fitted to three different breakthrough models, the Adams-Bohart, Thomas, and Yoon-Nelson models. The results suggested that the Yoon-Nelson model showed better agreement with the breakthrough curves than other models. Lastly, the design parameters for a large-scale column were calculated via the scale-up approach using the breakthrough parameters obtained from lab-scale column tests.

Facile synthesis of magnetic biochar/Fe3O4 nanocomposites using electro-magnetization technique and its application on the removal of acid orange 7 from aqueous media.

This study introduces a new methodology to synthesize magnetic biochar/Fe3O4 nanocomposites (M-BC) from marine macroalgae using a facile electro-magnetization technique. M-BC was prepared by stainless steel electrode-based electrochemical system, followed by pyrolysis. Physical and chemical analyses revealed that the porosity and magnetic properties were simultaneously improved via the electro-magnetization process, which enabled not only higher adsorption performance, but also easier separation/recovery from aqueous media at post-adsorption stage using a bar magnet. The adsorption equilibrium studies reveal that the Sips model satisfactorily predicts the adsorption capacity, which found to be 190, 297, and 382mgg(-1) at 10, 20, and 30°C, respectively. The overall findings indicate that one-step electro-magnetization technique can be effectively utilized for the fabrication of biochar with concurrent acquisition of porosity and magnetism, which can bring about new directions in the practical use of adsorption process in environment remediation and mitigate crises originating from it.

Fabrication of granular activated carbons derived from spent coffee grounds by entrapment in calcium alginate beads for adsorption of acid orange 7 and methylene blue.

Biomass-based granular activated carbon was successfully prepared by entrapping activated carbon powder derived from spent coffee grounds into calcium-alginate beads (SCG-GAC) for the removal of acid orange 7 (AO7) and methylene blue (MB) from aqueous media. The dye adsorption process is highly pH-dependent and essentially independent of ionic effects. The adsorption kinetics was satisfactorily described by the pore diffusion model, which revealed that pore diffusion was the rate-limiting step during the adsorption process. The equilibrium isotherm and isosteric heat of adsorption indicate that SCG-GAC possesses an energetically heterogeneous surface and operates via endothermic process in nature. The maximum adsorption capacities of SCG-GAC for AO7 (pH 3.0) and MB (pH 11.0) adsorption were found to be 665.9 and 986.8mg/g at 30°C, respectively. Lastly, regeneration tests further confirmed that SCG-GAC has promising potential in its reusability, showing removal efficiency of more than 80% even after seven consecutive cycles.

Comprehensive reuse of drinking water treatment residuals in coagulation and adsorption processes.

While drinking water treatment residuals (DWTRs) inevitably lead to serious problems due to their huge amount of generation and limitation of landfill sites, their unique properties of containing Al or Fe contents make it possible to reuse them as a beneficial material for coagulant recovery and adsorbent. Hence, in the present study, to comprehensively handle and recycle DWTRs, coagulant recovery from DWTRs and reuse of coagulant recovered residuals (CRs) were investigated. In the first step, coagulant recovery from DWTRs was conducted using response surface methodology (RSM) for statistical optimization of independent variables (pH, solid content, and reaction time) on response variable (Al recovery). As a result, a highly acceptable Al recovery of 97.5 ± 0.4% was recorded, which corresponds to 99.5% of the predicted Al recovery. Comparison study of recovered and commercial coagulant from textile wastewater treatment indicated that recovered coagulant has reasonable potential for use in wastewater treatment, in which the performance efficiencies were 68.5 ± 2.1% COD, 97.2 ± 1.9% turbidity, and 64.3 ± 1.0% color removals at 50 mg Al/L. Subsequently, in a similar manner, RSM was also applied to optimize coagulation conditions (Al dosage, initial pH, and reaction time) for the maximization of real cotton textile wastewater treatment in terms of COD, turbidity, and color removal. Overall performance revealed that the initial pH had a remarkable effect on the removal performance compared to the effects of other independent variables. This is mainly due to the transformation of metal species form with increasing or decreasing pH conditions. Finally, a feasibility test of CRs as adsorbent for phosphate adsorption from aqueous solution was conducted. Adsorption equilibrium of phosphate at different temperatures (10-30 °C) and initial levels of pH (3-11) indicated that the main mechanisms of phosphate adsorption onto CRs are endothermic and chemical precipitation; the surfaces are energetically heterogeneous for adsorbing phosphate.

Preparation of modified-biochar from Laminaria japonica: Simultaneous optimization of aluminum electrode-based electro-modification and pyrolysis processes and its application for phosphate removal.

The preparation conditions of electro-modification (current density) and pyrolysis (pyrolysis temperature and heating rate) processes were simultaneously optimized using response surface methodology with the quadratic regression model associated with Box-Behnken design. By numerical optimization, the phosphate adsorption capacity of 245.06mg/g was achieved, corresponding to 99.9% of the predicted values under statistically optimized conditions (current density: 38.78mA/cm(2), pyrolysis temperature: 584.1°C, heating rate: 6.91°C/min). By considering R(2) and three error functions values, the experimental results of adsorption kinetics, and the equilibrium isotherms at different temperatures (10-30°C) showed that predictive pseudo-second-order and Sips isotherm models could adequately interpret the phosphate adsorption process for 'statistically optimized electrically modified'-biochar (SOEM-biochar). The maximum phosphate adsorption capacities of SOEM-biochar were found to be 273.9, 345.1, and 460.3mg/g at 10, 20, and 30°C, respectively, which are higher than that of other adsorbents reported in the literature.