abstract
The increasing emphasis on environmental sustainability has placed biomass as a versatile and renewable resource, while the management and disposal of forest byproducts remain a significant challenge. This study explores the valorization of forest biomass residues derived from Pinus pinaster, Pinus pinea, and the invasive species Acacia dealbata, with a focus on their potential application as bioadsorbents. A comprehensive physicochemical characterization was conducted for different biomass fractions (leaves, needles, and branches of varying diameters). Leaves and needles contained higher amounts of extractives (from 7.7% in acacia leaves to 18.8% in maritime pine needles) and ash (3.4 and 4.2% in acacia leaves and stone pine needles, respectively), whereas branches contained more holocellulose (from 59.6% in P. pinea small branches to 79.2% in P. pinaster large branches). ATR-FTIR and pHpzc analyses indicated compositional and surface charge differences, with higher pHpzc values in A. dealbata relative to Pinus. TG analysis showed that acacia large branches degraded at a lower temperature (320 degrees C) compared to Pinus species (440-450 degrees C). Overall, the findings highlight the suitability of these underutilized forest byproducts as bioadsorbents, contributing to the advancement of circular economy practices.
keywords
X-RAY-DIFFRACTION; CHEMICAL-CHARACTERIZATION; AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS; PB(II) IONS; CRYSTALLINITY; CELLULOSE; REMOVAL; WOOD; ADSORPTION; ADSORBENT
subject category
Chemistry; Materials Science; Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering; Physics
authors
Macena, M; Cruz-Lopes, L; Grosche, L; Santos-Vieira, I; Esteves, B; Pereira, H
our authors
Isabel Cristina Maia da Silva Santos Vieira
Junior Researcheracknowledgements
This research was funded by national funds through the FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., by a doctoral scholarship with the reference number 2023.03677.BDANA (DOI 10.54499/2023.03677.BDANA); by the CERNAS-IPV Research Centre under the project UIDB/00681; and by the Forest Research Centre (CEF), within the scope of the project UIDB/00239/2020.