Abstract
Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a thermochemical process carried out in an aqueous medium. It is capable of converting biomass into a solid, carbon-rich material (hydrochar), and producing a liquid phase (process water) which contains the unreactive feedstock and/or chemical intermediates from the carbonization reaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of process water generated by HTC from vinasse and sugarcane bagasse produced by sugarcane industry and to evaluate its toxicity to both marine (using Artemia salina as a model organism) and the terrestrial environment (through seed germination studies of maize, lettuce, and tomato). The experiments showed that concentrated process water completely inhibited germination of maize, lettuce, and tomato seeds. On the other hand, diluted process water was able to stimulate seedlings of maize and tomato and enhance root and shoot growth. For Artemia, the LC50 indicated that the process water is practically non-toxic; however, morphological changes, especially damages to the digestive tube and antennas of Artemia, were observed for the concentration of 1000 mg C L−1.
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The authors would like to thank the Central Analítida-UFC/CT-INFRA/MCTI-SISNANO/Pró-Equipamentos CAPES. The authors also appreciate the scholarship from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).
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O. P. F acknowledged the support from the Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (FUNCAP) (PRONEX PR2-0101-00006.01.00/15) and from CAPES-PROCAD 2013 Grant 183995. M. C. B. acknowledged the support from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) grants 445487/2014-3 and 307925/2012-9 and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) (2015/22954-1). A. B. M. acknowledged the support from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) (2014/17511-0).
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Fregolente, L.G., Miguel, T.B.A.R., de Castro Miguel, E. et al. Toxicity evaluation of process water from hydrothermal carbonization of sugarcane industry by-products. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 27579–27589 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1771-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1771-2