Résumé
Climate change is causing a rise in interest in water management solutions in the Euro-Mediterranean region due to increased concentrations of organic contaminants in water dueto industrial and agricultural expansion. These organic compounds have harmful effects onhuman health and the environment. However, polluted water has the potential for reuse,minimizing environmental consequences and encouraging water sustainability. Various treatmentsare being tested to remove organic compounds from water, including biological, electromagnetic,and electrostatic treatments, membrane separation technologies, and adsorption.Adsorption is the most promising treatment, efficient and financially viable to be marketedand implemented on a large scale, meeting both economic and environmental requirements.Intensive research is underway to create effective and low-cost adsorbents for eliminatingorganic pollutants. Forest residues from reconstruction activities and timber harvesting cancause problems like forest fires, contributing to climate change. Eliminating these residuesand producing biochar can provide significant advantages to ecosystems. In this context,this research investigates the adsorption efficiency of biochar derived from forest residues inNorthwestern France for the elimination of newly discovered pollutants from water, includingFipronil (FPN), Trimethoprim (TRM), and Sulfamethoxazole (SMX). These pollutantswere chosen for inclusion in this work’s adsorption applications because of their extensivepresence in water, potential harm to human health and ecology, and recognition as emergingcontaminants of concern (watch list of Commission implementing decision (EU) 2022/1307,of 22 July 2022). The tested biochar has shown an effective removal for these pollutantswith an efficiency of 77% and 89% for FPN and TRM after 30 min and 96% for SMX after1 hour, respectively. Pollutant chemisorption on biochar surfaces has been characterizedusing isotherms and kinetic models. After that, the effect of operating parameters such aspH, initial SMX concentration and adsorbent dose has been tested in batch mode on one ofthese pollutants in order to optimize the process. A regeneration study just using water hasalso been done and it revealed a reusability of around 88% in the first cycle which is acceptableand can be improved. This communication aims to improve the quality of reclaimedwastewater for safe and sustainable reuse by using biochar as an adsorbent to eliminatethe hazardous organic material in water, in order to promote circular resource managementpractices and address environmental issues.