Walnut shells were used to produce highly microporous activated carbon. The prepared activated walnut shells were found to be an efficient adsorbent for removing Cr(VI). The study used the response surface methodology to investigate four independent variables effect: Cr(VI) concentration, pH, AC-Ws dose, and temperature on the Cr(VI) removal efficiency, which was studied in the concentration range of 0.1 to 0.3 g/L, 4 to 10, 15 to 35 °C and 1 to 5 mg/L, respectively. Through experiments designed, the optimum conditions were determined to be 4, 0.23 g/L, 298 k, and 2 g/L, respectively. At these conditions, the efficiency of removal was found to be 93%. The thermodynamic study of the adsorption process showed a spontaneous and exothermic nature. The kinetic model that explains the experimental data is the pseudo-second-order model. Furthermore, the Langmuir isotherm model was estimated to be an excellent representation of the equilibrium data. Quantum calculations and NCI analyses were also performed to get more light on the adsorption mechanism of the Cr(VI) atom and its complex form on the prepared AC-Ws surface.

Merging photoredox and catalysis by transition metals, coined as metallaphotoredox catalysis, proved to be an excellent new platform for the development of new synthetic strategies for the formation of carbon–carbon and carbon‐heteroatom bonds. Herein, we report a dual catalytic system that has been successfully developed for the azide‐alkyne ligation process to yield 1,4‐disubstituted‐1,2,3‐triazoles. It consists of merging the decatungstate anion [W₁₀O₃₂]⁴⁻‐photocatalyzed hydrogen atom transfer from ethanol as a source of hydrogen atom abstraction to produce the one‐electron‐reduced form H⁺[W₁₀O₃₂]⁵⁻, which reduces Cu(II) precursor into Cu(I) starting then the copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC). The resulting bifunctional H⁺[W₁₀O₃₂]⁵⁻/Cu catalytic system operates efficiently in an environmentally benign water–ethanol solvent mixture as reaction medium, resulting in the regioselective formation of 1,4‐disubstituted‐1,2,3‐triazole derivatives, with high yields up to 99% and large substrate application scope under mild conditions. This dual catalytic approach has proven to function under sunlight exposition too with recovery and reuse of the catalytic system for several times.

The copper-catalyzed cycloaddition of alkynes and azides (CuAAC) to give the corresponding 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles is the most successful and leading reaction within the click chemistry regime. Its heterogenization stands out as the innovative strategy to solve its environmental concerns and toxicity issue. In this report, magnetically retrievable activated carbon produced from biomass Persea Americana Nuts was loaded with a catalytically active copper(I) catalyst, resulting into a heterogeneous nanocatalyst, namely Cu-Fe₃O₄-PAC. This new compound was fully characterized using several techniques such as Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. Cu-Fe₃O₄-PAC catalyzed the cycloaddition of a variety of substituted terminal alkynes and organic azides in water at room temperature with excellent yields and in a regioselective manner. The hot filtration test demonstrated that no significant leaching of catalytically active copper particles took place during the CuAAC process, a feature that supports the stability of Cu-Fe₃O₄-PAC and its heterogeneous action way. Cu-Fe₃O₄-PAC was magnetically separable by applying an external magnetic field and was recyclable up to five runs, with only an 8% decline in its activity after the 5th catalytic test. The hot filtration experiment heavily suggested that the present catalytic system would proceed in a heterogeneous manner in CuAAC. The electronic characteristics, nature of the intermediate complexes, and type of ligand-to-copper bonding interactions were studied by using quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations, which enabled the confirmation of the proposed binuclear mechanism.

Many approaches have been investigated to eliminate pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plants during the last decades. However, a lack of sustainable and efficient solutions exists for the removal of hormones by advanced oxidation processes. The aim of this study was to synthesize and test new photoactive bio composites for the elimination of these molecules in wastewater effluents. The new materials were obtained from the activated carbon (AC) of Arganian spinosa tree nutshells and titanium tetrachloride by the sol gel method. SEM analysis allowed one to confirm the formation of TiO₂ particles homogeneously dispersed at the surface of AC with a controlled titanium dioxide mass ratio, a specific TiO₂ anatase structure, and a highly specific surface area, evidenced by ATG, XRD, and BET analysis, respectively. The obtained composites were revealed to quantitatively absorb carbamazepine (CBZ), which is used as a referred pharmaceutical, and leading to its total elimination after 40 min under irradiation with the most effective material. TiO₂ high content disfavors CBZ adsorption but improves its degradation. In the presence of the composite, three hormones (17α-ethinylestradiol, estrone, and β-estradiol) are partially adsorbed onto the composite and totally degraded after 60 min under UV light exposure. This study constitutes a promising solution for the efficient treatment of wastewater contaminated by hormones.

The development of advanced photocatalyst for the complete and sustainable removal of emerging organic pollutants such as pharmaceuticals in wastewater is still challenging. Thus, a new three-dimensional cauliflower of TiO₂ immobilised on a bio sourced activated carbon (AC/3D-TiO₂) was successfully synthesised by a hydrothermal method. Its morphological and physicochemical properties were well-characterised with a pure 3D-TiO₂ anatase phase, a high surface area (763 m².g⁻¹) and a cauliflower-shaped morphology composed of TiO₂ tubes in a radial direction at a micrometric scale. 3D-TiO₂-AC photocatalytic activity on carbamazepine (CBZ), in water showed that around 90% of CBZ elimination is obtained after 4 h of exposure, that is 1.5 times more efficient than commercial TiO₂ P25. This was confirmed on five pharmaceuticals (CBZ, ketoprofen, sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin and diclofenac) by measuring their adsorption, elimination, and mineralisation in wastewater highlighting the promising application of AC/3D-TiO₂ in the treatment of wastewaters.