Issue

Vol. 38 No. 5 (2026): Vol 38, Issue 5, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Dibakar Deka

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Macroalgae Aquatic Weed Azolla pinnata Biochar: Production and Characterisation

https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2026.35579
B. Singha
Department of Chemistry, Gauhati University, Guwahati-781001, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8704-8603
D. Deka
Department of Chemistry, Mizoram University, Aizawl-796004, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5947-5279

Corresponding Author(s) : D. Deka

dcdeka@gauhati.ac.in

Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 38 No. 5 (2026): Vol 38, Issue 5, 2026

Abstract

In this study, the spectroscopic and physico-chemical properties of biochar derived from waste biomass of aquatic plant Azolla pinnata are reported. The biochar produced by pyrolysis at 500 ºC was characterised by PXRD, XRF, FESEM, EDX, BET, FTIR and TGA analysis. The biochar is basic in nature, contains mesopores and diverse nanoparticles that exhibit irregular shapes and sizes. It has strong thermal stability with moderate surface area which increases by 31.71% after pyrolysis. Spectroscopic and chemical analyses indicate that the primary constituents of the biochar are KCl, NaCl and SiO2, along with significant amounts of MgO, CaO and CaCO3. It has features similar to other Ca-rich waste biomass-derived catalysts utilised in transesterification processes, making it a viable candidate hetero-geneous base catalyst for organic reactions. Furthermore, due to its high concentration of beneficial nutrient combinations such as Ca, Mg, N, P and K, it is a potential natural fertilizer to boost agricultural productivity as well as a natural cure for acidic soil.

Keywords

Azolla pinnata Aquatic weeds Biochar Macroalgae Waste to wealth
(1)
Singha, B.; Deka, D. Macroalgae Aquatic Weed Azolla Pinnata Biochar: Production and Characterisation. ajc 2026, 38, 1245-1252.
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
References
  1. G.A. Peters, Arch. Microbiol., 103, 113 (1975); https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00436337
  2. G.A. Peters, Bioscience, 28, 580 (1978); https://doi.org/10.2307/1307514
  3. T.A. Lumpkin and D.L. Plucknett, Econ. Bot., 34, 111 (1980); https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858627
  4. A. Hussner, I. Stiers, M.J.J.M. Verhofstad, E.S. Bakker, B.M.C. Grutters, J. Haury, J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg, G. Brundu, J. Newman, J.S. Clayton, L.W.J. Anderson and D. Hofstra, Aquat. Bot., 136, 112 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2016.08.002
  5. A. Arora and S. Saxena, Biomass Bioenergy, 29, 60 (2005); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2005.02.002
  6. N. Muradov, M. Taha, A.F. Miranda, K. Kadali, A. Gujar, S. Rochfort, T. Stevenson, A.S. Ball and A. Mouradov, Biotechnol. Biofuels, 7, 30 (2014); https://doi.org/10.1186/1754-6834-7-30
  7. A. Sood, P.L. Uniyal, R. Prasanna and A.S. Ahluwalia, Ambio, 41, 122 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0159-z
  8. B. Kollah, A.K. Patra and S.R. Mohanty, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 23, 4358 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5857-9
  9. H.Z. Hamdan and A.F. Houri, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 29, 16912 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16986-6
  10. R.J.E. Vroom, A.J.P. Smolders, B.P. Van de Riet, L.P.M. Lamers, E. Güngör, S. Krosse, G.M. Verheggen-Kleinheerenbrink, N.R. Van der Wal and S. Kosten, Water Res., 254, 121411 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2024.121411
  11. O.A. Alalade and E.A. Iyayi, Int. J. Poult. Sci., 5, 137 (2006).
  12. N. Katayama, M. Yamashita, Y. Kishida, C.C. Liu, I. Watanabe, H. Wada, Acta Astronaut., 63, 1093 (2008); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2008.01.023
  13. M. Wagner, Bot. Rev., 63, 1 (1997); https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02857915
  14. M. Varkolu, S. Gundekari, Omvesh, V.C.S. Palla, S. Bhattacharjee, P. Kumar and T. Vinodkumar, Catalysts, 15, 243 (2025); https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15030243
  15. Y. Xie, L. Wang, H. Li, L.J. Westholm, L. Carvalho, E. Thorin, Z. Yu, X. Yu and Ø. Skreiberg, J. Anal. Appl. Pyrol., 161, 105405 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2021.105405
  16. J. Lehmann and S. Joseph, Biochar for Environmental Management, Science, Technology and Implementation, Routledge, edn. 2 (2015).
  17. M. Ahmad, A.U. Rajapaksha, J.E. Lim, M. Zhang, N. Bolan, D. Mohan, M. Vithanage, S.S. Lee and Y.S. Ok, Chemosphere, 99, 19 (2014); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.10.071
  18. C. Gallego-Ramírez, E. Chica and A. Rubio-Clemente, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 12, 112425 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.112425
  19. V.C. Srivastava, I.D. Mall and I.M. Mishra, Colloids Surf. A: Physico-chem. Eng. Asp., 312, 172 (2008); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2007.06.048
  20. S.K. Manikandan, P. Pallavi, D. Bhattacharjee, D.A. Giannakoudakis, K. Shetty, I.A. Katsoyiannis and V. Nair, Molecules, 28, 719 (2023); https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28020719
  21. Z. Zeng, A. Umeh, G.A. Iyengar, F. Qi and R. Naidu, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 12, 114262 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.114262
  22. R. Shan, J. Han, J. Gu, H. Yuan, B. Luo and Y. Chen, Resour. Conserv. Recycl., 162, 105036 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105036
  23. Z. Wei, C. Xu and B. Li, Bioresour. Technol., 100, 2883 (2009); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2008.12.039
  24. N. Nakatani, H. Takamori, K. Takeda and H. Sakugawa, Bioresour. Technol., 100, 1510 (2009); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2008.09.007
  25. X. Xiong, I.K.M. Yu, L. Cao, D.C.W. Tsang, S. Zhang and Y.S. Ok, Bioresour. Technol., 246, 254 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.06.163
  26. S.L. Lee, Y.C. Wong, Y.P. Tan and S.Y. Yew, Energy Convers. Manag., 93, 282 (2015); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2014.12.067
  27. S. Hu, Y. Wang and H. Han, Biomass Bioenergy, 35, 3627 (2011); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.05.009
  28. A. Agrawal and S. Chakraborty, Bioresour. Technol., 128, 72 (2013); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.10.043
  29. Q.V. Bach and W.H. Chen, Bioresour. Technol., 246, 88 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.06.087
  30. N. Muradov, B. Fidalgo, A.C. Gujar, N. Garceau and A. T-Raissi, Biomass Bioenergy, 42, 123 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2012.03.003
  31. M. Keiluweit, P.S. Nico, M.G. Johnson and M. Kleber, Environ. Sci. Technol., 44, 1247 (2010); https://doi.org/10.1021/es9031419
  32. L.G. Benning, V.R. Phoenix, N. Yee and K.O. Konhauser, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 68, 743 (2004); https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(03)00488-5
  33. E.A. Paukshtis, M.A. Yaranova, I.S. Batueva and B.S. Bal'zhinimaev, Micropor. Mesopor. Mater., 288, 109582 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2019.109582
  34. E. Betiku, A.O. Etim, O. Pereao and T.V. Ojumu, Energy Fuels, 31, 6182 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b00604
  35. M.I. Bird, C.M. Wurster, P.H. de Paula Silva, A.M. Bass and R. de Nys, Bioresour. Technol., 102, 1886 (2011); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.07.106
  36. J.N. Murdock and D.L. Wetzel, Appl. Spectrosc. Rev., 44, 335 (2009); https://doi.org/10.1080/05704920902907440
  37. T. Zhao, X. Han and H. Cao, ACS Omega, 5, 33262 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.0c04961
  38. L. Habte, N. Shiferaw, D. Mulatu, T. Thenepalli, R. Chilakala and J.W. Ahn, Sustainability, 11, 3196 (2019); https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113196
  39. M.R. Soto-Vásquez, P.A.A. Alvarado-García, F.S. Youssef, M.L. Ashour, H.A. Bogari and S.S. Elhady, Mar. Drugs, 21, 36 (2023); https://doi.org/10.3390/md21010036
  40. Z. Mirghiasi, F. Bakhtiari, E. Darezereshki and E. Esmaeilzadeh, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 20, 113 (2014); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2013.04.018
  41. M.M.H. Al Omari, I.S. Rashid, N.A. Qinna, A.M. Jaber and A.A. Badwan, Profiles Drug Subst. Excipients Relat. Methodol., 41, 31 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.podrm.2015.11.003
  42. H. Wang, V. Alfredsson, J. Tropsch, R. Ettl and T. Nylander, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 5, 4035 (2013); https://doi.org/10.1021/am401348v
Read More
Author biographies is not available.
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 1 Download : 0
PlumX