Biochar filters and its application in drinking water treatment

Worldwide, drinking water contamination has a severe impact on humans. Despite the availability of various advanced methods to eliminate water pollutants, these techniques are not within reach for underprivileged communities. Biochar, an organic substance with several benefits, is presented as a potential solution to this issue. This chapter provides an overview of the potential of developing filter systems using biochar for treating drinking water. The efficacy of various feedstock types in eliminating pollutants was evaluated through batch experiments; however there is limited literature on column experiments using actual water samples, particularly in field-level application. Different types of biochar-based filters were suggested, including integration with sand, ceramic, Fe0, capacitive deionization, or biochar alone as a reactive filter. The limitations and the future perspectives are also discussed. Overall, this chapter highlights the potential of biochar-based filters for drinking water treatment and the need for further research and development in this area to address the issue of drinking water contamination.