Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Solutions: Using Hydrochar to Target Organic Pollutants in Swine Wastewater

Poorly managed swine wastewater (SWW) contaminates the environment, posingsignificant ecological and public health challenges. To address this, carbon-based filtrationsystems offer a cost-effective solution. However, their application to SWW remains limited,particularly in the development of sustainably derived and functionally engineered sorbents, likebiochar and hydrochar. This study evaluates the performance of novel ZnCl2/FeCl3 layereddouble hydroxide (LDH)-modified hydrochar and biochar derived from waste biomasses(alligator weed (AW) and digested sludge (DS)) for the removal of organic contaminants fromSWW. Modified AW hydrochar, as well as modified DS hydrochar and biochar, achievedcomparable removal efficiencies, with COD removals of 95.8%, 89.8%, and 94.5%, and TOCremovals of 70.4%, 73.01%, and 83.3%, respectively. The time-based results indicated statisticalsignificance, confirming the performance comparisons (COD p<0.0001, TOC p<0.0001). Thesefindings demonstrate that AW and DS can be valorized into high-performance hydrochars forboth sustainable waste management and effective SWW treatment.