Physicochemical characterisation of biochar derived from sargassum spp. and its antibacterial activity

This experiment aims to study the potential use of biochar derived from Sargassum spp. as an innovative ingredient in homemade soap, focusing on its antibacterial activity. The pyrolysis process was conducted at 700 °C with a heating rate of 10 °C min^-1 for 2 h under a nitrogen atmosphere with KOH chemical activation. The physicochemical properties of the biochar were investigated using XRD, FTIR, Raman, BET surface analysis, and SEM. Highly porous biochar was successfully synthesised, achieving a large specific surface area of 1600 m² g^-1 and a well-developed microporous structure distributed across the surface of the biochar. Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella choleraesuis were used as model pathogens to evaluate the antibacterial activity of biochar-enriched homemade soap using Müeller-Hinton Agar and the Kirby-Bauer test. The antibacterial evaluations demonstrated that the incorporation of biochar into homemade soap partially inhibited the growth of these model pathogens bacteria.