We hypothesized that the morphology of the hydrochar from hydrothermal carbonization of glucose would be affected by Fe²⁺; and indeed, with such ions, large pieces of hydrochar formed that comprised aggregated spherical particles and blue and thin films. Thin carbonized films formed at the bottom of the autoclave liners or on Teflon^TM tape used as a template. Free-standing films could be prepared by stretching the Teflon^TM tape after the synthesis. The carbonized films that formed at the bottom of the autoclave adhered to spherical hydrochar particles. The blueness was ascribed to thin-film interference under white-light irradiation and related to the film thickness, which was about 200 nm. Analysis of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the films consisted of a layered amorphous carbon. The amorphous and thin films were more carbonized than the amorphous carbon of the TEM grid, as derived via electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Additional analysis of one of the thin films by X-ray photoelectron spectral analysis showed a higher carbon fraction than for bulk hydrochar, supporting the EELS analysis. We believe that the synthesis of thin films of hydrochar can open up new colloidal processing pathways, which could be useful in the preparation of carbon-based materials and alike.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are often hazardous and need commonly to be removed from gas mixtures. Capture on activated carbon (AC) is one approach to achieving this. We hypothesized that the smallest pores on ACs and the inclusion of inorganic phosphates could enhance the low gas pressure uptake of two typical VOCs (acetone and isopropanol). To test this hypothesis, ACs were prepared by chemical activation of hydrochars with H3PO4 or a mixture of FeCl3 and H3PO4. The hydrochars had been prepared by hydrothermal carbonization of glucose. The ACs were characterized by XRD, IR, TGA, and the adsorption of N2, CO2, H2O, acetone, and isopropanol. The results showed that the ACs had comparably high adsorption of acetone and isopropanol at low vapor pressures. The low-pressure uptake (at 0.03 kPa) of isopropanol and acetone had values of up to 3.4 mmol/g and 2.2 mmol/g, respectively. This suggests that ACs containing iron phosphate could be of relevance for adsorption driven removal of VOC. It was also observed that the external surface area of the ACs containing iron phosphates increased upon secondary heat treatment in N2.

The agro-sector generates organic waste of various kinds, which potentially could be used to prepare functional materials, lessen environmental problems, and enhance circularity. In this context, the hypothesis that was put forward in this work is that prickly pear seed waste from the Tunisian agro-food industry could be used to prepare activated carbons. The prickly pear seed waste was first hydrothermally carbonized and the resulting hydrochar was activated in CO₂ at 800 °C. The yield of the hydrothermal carbonization process is of importance, and it was the highest at intermediate dwell times and temperatures, which was ascribed to the re-precipitation of hydrochar particles on the heat-treated biomass. The hydrochars and activated carbons were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, Raman spectroscopy, and N₂ and CO₂ adsorption/desorption analyses. The activated carbons had micro- (<2 nm) and mesopores (2–50 nm), and specific surface areas and total pore volumes of about 400 m^2 −1 and 0.21 cm³ g⁻¹. The study showed that the prickly pear seed waste could be effectively transformed into both hydrochars and activated carbons and that is advisable to optimize the hydrothermal process for the mass yield. A life cycle analysis was performed to assess the environmental impact of the production of typical activated carbons using the approach of this study. Further studies could be focused on enhancing the properties of the activated carbons by further optimization of the activation process.