# Innovative Vaporization of Wood Panel Waste into Activated Biochar for Efficient Phenol Adsorption
## 1 Introduction  
Accelerated industrialization and urbanization have dramatically increased quantities of lignocellulosic wastes, with a significant portion originating from end-of-life wood panels. Wood waste from construction, renovation, and demolition (CRD) contributes substantially to the growing waste stream. According to Statistics Canada, approximately 4 million tonnes of CRD waste were generated in Canada in 2020, and possibly more depending on tracking methods [1]. Of particular concern are wood panels bonded with phenol-formaldehyde(PF), urea-formaldehyde(UF), melamine formaldehyde(MF), or isocyanate resins, which leach toxic chemicals when dumped in landfills, for additional environmental hazards [2]. Thus, end-of-life wood panels, often laden with toxic compounds such as formaldehyde and ammonia, pose significant environmental and health risks. These compoundseach into soil and water systems, resulting in long-term contamination and bioaccumulation that threaten ecosystems. Moreover, when incinerated, they release hazardous gases, including hydrogen chloride (HCl), nitrogen oxides (NO\({}_{\text{x}}\)), and ammonia (NH\({}_{3}\)), exacerbating air pollution. Despite recently implemented energy recovery strategies, these emissions continue to substantially deteriorate air quality. Additionally, when combusted, these materials release gaseous pollutants such as NO\({}_{\text{x}}\) and carbon monoxide (CO), which contribute to smog formation and soil acidification [3; 4; 5]. Simultaneously, phenol, an organic contaminant frequently found in effluents from petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, is classified as a priority pollutant due to its acute toxicity and environmental persistence [6]. Even at low concentrations, phenol poses significant risks: ingestion can cause severe gastrointestinal complications, and in extreme cases, death [7]. Accordingly, national and international regulations enforce stringent limits on phenol concentrations in drinking water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Union (EU) have set a maximum allowable concentration of 0.001 mg/L and 0.0005 mg/L, respectively [8]. Health Canada has established a slightly higher threshold of 0.002 mg/L for drinking water safety [9]. In the Canadian province of Quebec, municipal regulations limit phenolic compound concentrations in treated wastewater to 0.5 mg/L or less [10]. These strict rules underscore the urgent need to develop treatments to efficiently and effectively remove phenol from contaminated water sources. Various approaches to phenol treatment in industrial effluents are possible. The viable options include biological, chemical, and physical methods, each with its advantages and limitations. Biological processes based on phenol biodegradation by specialized microorganisms such as _Rhodococcus pyridinitorans_ and _Acinetobacter towneri_ are economically feasible and generate little secondary waste. However, their effectiveness is generally limited by the toxicity and concentration of phenol in wastewater [11; 12]. Chemical methods, including advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and the Sono-Fenton reaction, promote phenol degradation into less noxious compounds. At the same time, they involve substantial energy inputs and costly reagents (e.g., hydrogen peroxide, iron salts, UV light) [13; 14]. Membrane separation technology offers efficient alternatives for phenolic compound separation, but the high cost and risk of membrane fouling limit large-scale applications [15]. In comparison, adsorption emerges as a particularly promising solution due to its simplicity, low-cost efficiency, and ability to treat large effluent volumes. Innovative adsorbents such as modified biomaterials and nanomaterials have demonstrated considerable potential for enhanced phenol removal [16; 17; 18]. Thus, adsorption offers an attractive and sustainable approach for phenolic water remediation, spurring the development of novel high-performance adsorbent materials.