Engineered biochar via microwave CO₂ and steam pyrolysis to treat carcinogenic Congo red dye

We developed an innovative single-step pyrolysis approach that combines microwave heating and activation by CO₂ or steam to transform orange peel waste (OPW) into microwave activated biochar (MAB). This involves carbonization and activation simultaneously under an inert environment. Using CO₂ demonstrates dual functions in this approach, acting as purging gas to provide an inert environment for pyrolysis while activating highly porous MAB. This approach demonstrates rapid heating rate (15-120 °C/min), higher temperature (> 800 °C) and shorter process time (15 min) compared to conventional method using furnace (> 1 h). The MAB shows higher mass yield (31-44 wt %), high content of fixed carbon (58.6-61.2 wt %), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) surface area (158.5-305.1 m²/g), low ratio of H/C (0.3) and O/C (0.2). Activation with CO₂ produces more micropores than using steam that generates more mesopores. Steam-activated MAB records a higher adsorption efficiency (136 mg/g) compared to CO₂ activation (91 mg/g), achieving 89-93 % removal of Congo Red dye. The microwave pyrolysis coupled with steam or CO₂ activation thereby represents a promising approach to transform fruit-peel waste to microwave-activated biochar that remove hazardous dye.