We've all heard the story: biochar cleans water by adsorbing pollutants -- trapping them like a sponge. Or, in fancier setups, it acts as a catalyst to help oxidants like hydrogen peroxide break down toxins. But Dr. Gao's team asked a bold question: What if biochar can degrade pollutants all by itself? Turns out -- it can. And it's been doing it quietly all along.
The secret lies in electron transfer -- a natural ability of biochar that's been overlooked for years. Think of it like this: instead of just catching a bad guy (adsorption), biochar can now take them down on its own (direct degradation). Using advanced electrochemical tests, quantification methods, and correlation analysis, the team proved that biochar actively breaks down organic pollutants through direct electron transfer -- without needing extra chemicals. In their experiments, direct degradation accounted for up to 40% ± 10% of the total pollutant removal. That's almost half the cleaning power coming straight from the biochar itself!
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