Pure nanometals have poor adsorption capacity due to their agglomeration in aqueous solution. In this study, biochar (Bc) prepared by the pyrolysis of rosin and coated on bentonite (Bt) was designed to support and disperse nanoscale α-Fe₂O₃ (Bt/Bc/α-Fe₂O₃). The generation of α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles and the pyrolysis of rosin on the surface of Bt were accomplished in a one-step heating route. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the pyrolysis of rosin into biochar and the production of α-Fe₂O₃ in the composite. Besides, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed good dispersion of α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles on the biochar surface. This adsorbent demonstrated fast Cr(VI) adsorption property with a Cr(VI) removal efficiency of 95% within one minute and high Cr(VI) adsorption capacity with a maximum Cr(VI) removal up to 81.7 mg g⁻¹ based on the Langmuir model. The remarkable improvement of Cr(VI) adsorption on Bt/Bc/α-Fe₂O₃ was attributed to the good dispersion of α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles by the biochar network in comparison with other similar adsorbents. In addition, Bt/Bc/α-Fe₂O₃ maintained high Cr(VI) adsorption capacity under both acidic and basic conditions. This indicated that Bt/Bc/α-Fe₂O₃ can be used for fast Cr(VI) removal from wastewater or emergent Cr(VI) leakage due to its facile preparation and high efficiency in a wide range of pH.

Breast cancer is a major cause of mortality in women; however, technologies for early stage screening and diagnosis (e.g., mammography and other imaging technologies) are not optimal for the accurate detection of cancer. This creates demand for a more effective diagnostic means to replace or be complementary to existing technologies for early discovery of breast cancer. Cancer neoantigens could reflect tumorigenesis, but they are hardly detectable at the early stage. Autoantibodies, however, are biologically amplified and hence may be measurable early on, making them promising biomarkers to discriminate breast cancer from healthy tissue accurately. In this review, we summarized the recent findings of breast cancer specific antigens and autoantibodies, which may be useful in early detection, disease stratification, and monitoring of treatment responses of breast cancer.