# Innovative Vaporization of Wood Panel Waste into Activated Biochar for Efficient Phenol Adsorption
## 4 Conclusions  
This study demonstrates the potential of biochar derived from wood panel waste (WPW) as a sustainable and efficient adsorbent for phenol removal from aqueous solutions. Biochar activation at high temperatures (750, 850, and 950 \({}^{\circ}\)C) significantly enhanced its adsorption capacity, with the highest experimental adsorption capacity observed for biochar activated at 950 \({}^{\circ}\)C (171.9 mg/g) and with a Langmuir predicted maximum adsorption capacity of 178.57 mg/g for BWP950. The adsorption process was best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm, indicating chemisorption and monolayer adsorption mechanisms. The development of microporous and mesoporous structures during activation played a critical role in improving adsorption performance. Furthermore, leaching tests confirmed the environmental safety of the biochar, with heavy metal concentrations well below regulatory limits. These findings underscore the potential of biochar as a safe and sustainable material for environmental applications. The valorization of WPW into biochar not only addresses waste management challenges, but also provides a cost-effective solution for water treatment, in agreement with the principles of circular economy and green chemistry. Moreover, these findings align directly with the 2030 Quebec Green Hydrogen and Bioenergy Strategy [32], which promotes the valorization of local biomass residues such as WPW to develop sustainable materials for environmental remediation and circular economy applications. This study contributes to the knowledge of sustainable waste management and water treatment technologies by \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{} & \multicolumn{5}{c}{**Concentration (mg/kg)**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Regulatory Limit Limit Limit Limit (CEPA)**} \\ \hline Ag & \(<\)0.00009 & \(<\)0.00009 & \(<\)0.00009 & \(<\)0.00009 & \(<\)0.00009 & 5 & 0.14 \\ As & 0.0047 \(\pm\) 0.0001 & 0.0047 \(\pm\) 0.0001 & 0.0182 \(\pm\) 0.0006 & 0.0324 \(\pm\) 0.0008 & 0.0025 \(\pm\) 0.0002 & 5 & 2.5 \\ Ba & 0.5423 \(\pm\) 0.0090 & 0.343 \(\pm\) 0.007 & 0.407 \(\pm\) 0.0123 & 0.1823 \(\pm\) 0.0025 & 0.383 \(\pm\) 0.0062 & 100 & 100 \\ Cd & 0.0044 \(\pm\) 0.0003 & 0.009 \(\pm\) 0.0002 & 0.003 \(\pm\) 0.00005 & \(<\)0.00009 & \(<\)0.0009 & 1 & 0.5 \\ Cr & 0.0060 \(\pm\) 0.0003 & 0.0137 \(\pm\) 0.0003 & 0.0013 \(\pm\) 0.00005 & 0.0004 \(\pm\) 0.0001 & 0.0005 \(\pm\) 0.0001 & 5 & 5 \\ Cu & 0.0103 \(\pm\) 0.0004 & 0.003 \(\pm\) 0.0001 & 0.0002 \(\pm\) 0.0001 & \(<\)0.00007 & \(<\)0.00007 & 5 & 5 \\ Mn & 5.1500 \(\pm\) 0.0458 & 5.4367 \(\pm\) 0.1069 & 9.1367 \(\pm\) 0.3156 & 21.3667 \(\pm\) 0.4726 & 34.900 \(\pm\) 0 & - & - \\ Pb & 0.0069 \(\pm\) 0.0003 & 0.0001 \(\pm\) 0.00001 & \(<\)0.00008 & \(<\)0.00008 & \(<\)0.00008 & 5 & - \\ Se & \(<\)0.00044 & 0.0015 \(\pm\) 0.0002 & \(<\)0.00044 & 0.0022 \(\pm\) 0.0002 & 0.0107 \(\pm\) 0.0007 & 1 & 1 \\ Zn & 0.556 \(\pm\) 0.0074 & 0.5037 \(\pm\) 0.0115 & 0.292 \(\pm\) 0.01 & 0.0179 \(\pm\) 0.0011 & 0.0361 \(\pm\) 0.0004 & - & - \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 6: Concentrations of metals leached from WPW and the derived biochar (BWP) and activated biochars (BWP750, BWP850, and BWP950) using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). offering a practical, leading-edge solution for the dual challenges of waste valorization and environmental remediation. Conceptualization, A.B. and F.L.B. ; methodology, A.B., F.L.B. and M.D. ; software, A.B. ; validation, A.B., F.L.B. and M.D. ; formal analysis, A.B., L.D.C.D. and M.D. ; investigation, A.B. and F.L.B. ; resources, F.L.B., M.D. and A.B. ; data curation, L.D.C.D. and A.B. ; writing--original draft preparation, A.B. ; writing--review and editing, A.B. and F.L.B. ; visualization, A.B. and F.L.B. ; supervision, F.L.B. and M.D. ; project administration, F.L.B. and M.D. ; funding acquisition, A.K. and F.L.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.