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Updated: Oct 29, 2025

Evaluation of Integrated Anaerobic Digestion and Hydrothermal Carbonization for Bioenergy Production
Published on: June 15, 2014
Review on upgrading organic waste to value-added carbon materials for energy and environmental applications
Xiangzhou Yuan1, Pavani Dulanja Dissanayake2, Bin Gao3
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Korea Biochar Research Center, APRU Sustainable Waste Management Program & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Value-added materials such as biochar and activated carbon that are produced using thermo-chemical conversion of organic waste have gained an emerging interest for the application in the fields of energy and environment because of their low cost and unique physico-chemical properties. Organic waste-derived materials have multifunctional abilities in the field of environment for capturing greenhouse gases and remediation of contaminated soil and water as well as in the field of energy storage and conversion. This review critically evaluates and discusses the current thermo-chemical approaches for upgrading organic waste to value-added carbon materials, performance enhancement of these materials via activation and/or surface modification, and recent research findings related to energy and environmental applications. Moreover, this review provides detailed guidelines for preparing high-performance organic waste-derived materials and insights for their potential applications. Key challenges associated with the sustainable management of organic waste for ecological and socio-economic benefits and potential solutions are also discussed.
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