CNR NANOTEC, Institute of Nanotechnology, Campus Ecoteckne, Via Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
J Environ Manage. 2023 Aug 1;339:117896. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117896. Epub 2023 Apr 18.
The production of increasing quantities of by-products is a key challenge for modern society; their valorisation - turning them into valuable compounds with technological applications - is the way forward, in line with circular economy principles. In this review, the conversion of bones (by-products of the agro-food industry) into bone char is described. Bone char is obtained with a process of pyrolysis, which converts the organic carbon into an inorganic graphitic one. Differently from standard biochar of plant origin, however, bone char also contains calcium phosphates, the main component of bone (often hydroxyapatite). The combination of calcium phosphate and graphitic carbon makes bone char a unique material, with different possible uses. Here bone chars' applications in environmental remediation, sustainable agriculture, catalysis and electrochemistry are discussed; several aspects are considered, including the bones used to prepare bone char, the preparation conditions, how these affect the properties of the materials (i.e. porosity, surface area) and its functional properties. The advantages and limitations of bone chars in comparison to traditional biochar are discussed, highlighting the directions the research should take for bone chars' performances to improve. Moreover, an analysis on the sustainability of bone chars' preparation and use is also included.
生产越来越多的副产品是现代社会面临的一个主要挑战；根据循环经济原则，将它们转化为具有技术应用价值的有价值化合物是未来的发展方向。在这篇综述中，描述了将骨头（农业食品工业的副产品）转化为骨炭的过程。骨炭是通过热解过程获得的，该过程将有机碳转化为无机石墨碳。然而，与源自植物的标准生物炭不同，骨炭还含有钙磷酸盐，这是骨头的主要成分（通常是羟基磷灰石）。钙磷酸盐和石墨碳的结合使骨炭成为一种独特的材料，具有不同的可能用途。本文讨论了骨炭在环境修复、可持续农业、催化和电化学方面的应用；考虑了几个方面，包括用于制备骨炭的骨头、制备条件、这些条件如何影响材料的性能（即孔隙率、表面积）及其功能特性。讨论了骨炭与传统生物炭相比的优势和局限性，强调了为提高骨炭性能而应采取的研究方向。此外，还对骨炭制备和使用的可持续性进行了分析。
