One-step thermochemical activation of waste wood for micropollutant adsorption: Optimisation via design of experiments

The increasing generation of waste wood (WW) and the demand for activated carbon (AC) in wastewater treatment highlight the need for sustainable alternatives. WW was converted into AC via one-step thermochemical activation using carbon dioxide, steam, or both in a fluidised-bed reactor. A Design of Experiments approach was applied to optimise temperature and residence time. The resulting ACs achieved surface areas up to 708 m 2 g −1 and adsorption capacities of 254 mg g −1 for organic micropollutants. The process yielded favourable porosity and surface chemistry. It supports circular economy principles and offers a scalable route aligned with current environmental regulations. • Waste wood identified as promising AC precursor. • One-step steam activation (708 m 2 g −1 ) more effective than CO 2 . • DoE-based optimum at 850 °C and 20 min of H 2 O activation. • Superior micropollutant adsorption capacity of 254 mg g −1