Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass: a commentary

AbstractHydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a thermochemical conversion method to upgrade the raw biomass into carbon-rich material, which is known as hydrochar. This commentary will focus on the applications of hydrochar in wastewater treatment. Hydrochar has been widely used as an adsorbent for the removal of water pollutants; however, owing to its poor porous texture and small surface area, it is usually converted through an activation process, which yields an activated carbon with superior physicochemical properties and adsorption capacities. While HTC is proven to be beneficial, the current limitations of HTC as a pretreatment prior to activated carbon production are also incorporated to provide insight into its usage during the activation process.Keywords: Activated carbonAdsorbentHydrocharHydrothermal carbonizationOxygenated functional groupsWater pollutant Disclosure statementAuthors have no conflict of interest to disclose.Additional informationFundingThis work was partly funded by UTM ICONIC No. 09G54 and Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.