With the global population continuing to increase, the demand for food and energy has escalated, resulting in severe environmental pressures. Traditional methods of food and energy production have left a significant footprint on the environment, primarily due to the emission of greenhouse gases and a notable surge in waste production. Nevertheless, scientists have recently focused on developing sustainable solutions by managing biomass waste and converting it into useful products. Various biomass conversion technologies, including pyrolysis, gasification, and fermentation, have emerged to transform waste materials into valuable commodities like biofuels, fertilizers, and chemicals. These technologies present an alternative to conventional energy production methods and decrease reliance on non-renewable resources. Furthermore, the by-products generated through biomass conversion, such as biochar, possess utility as valuable soil amendments. This review emphasizes the potential of biomass conversion technologies in providing sustainable solutions for waste management, food and energy production, and reducing negative environmental impacts while providing valuable by-products for agricultural use. The focus is on Lebanon, which is facing a waste and energy crisis, with an aim to encourage and promote sustainable practices by highlighting different green waste management technologies. Focusing on the application of biochar in soil, our goal is to provide cost-effective and eco-friendly solutions to various agricultural and environmental challenges in Lebanon. This includes using biochar from biomass waste as a soil amendment to boost crop yields, remediate soil pollution, reduce soil drought stress, and address other related issues.

Catalytic transfer hydrogenation has emerged as a pivotal chemical process with transformative potential in various industries. This review highlights the significance of catalytic transfer hydrogenation, a reaction that facilitates the transfer of hydrogen from one molecule to another, using a distinct molecule as the hydrogen source in the presence of a catalyst. Unlike conventional direct hydrogenation, catalytic transfer hydrogenation offers numerous advantages, such as enhanced safety, cost-effective hydrogen donors, byproduct recyclability, catalyst accessibility, and the potential for catalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation, particularly with chiral ligands. Moreover, the diverse range of hydrogen donor molecules utilized in this reaction have been explored, shedding light on their unique properties and their impact on catalytic systems and the mechanism elucidation of some reactions. Alcohols such as methanol and isopropanol are prominent hydrogen donors, demonstrating remarkable efficacy in various reductions. Formic acid offers irreversible hydrogenation, preventing the occurrence of reverse reactions, and is extensively utilized in chiral compound synthesis. Unconventional donors such as 1,4-cyclohexadiene and glycerol have shown a good efficiency in reducing unsaturated compounds, with glycerol additionally serving as a green solvent in some transformations. The compatibility of these donors with various catalysts, substrates, and reaction conditions were all discussed. Furthermore, this paper outlines future trends which include the utilization of biomass-derived hydrogen donors, the exploration of hydrogen storage materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), catalyst development for enhanced activity and recyclability, and the utilization of eco-friendly solvents such as glycerol and ionic liquids. Innovative heating methods, diverse base materials, and continued research into catalyst-hydrogen donor interactions are aimed to shape the future of catalytic transfer hydrogenation, enhancing its selectivity and efficiency across various industries and applications.

The escalating threats of climate change, pollution, and a rapidly growing global population are putting immense pressure on water resources, highlighting the urgent need for innovative wastewater recycling solutions. This study explores the potential of biochar, derived from common kitchen waste as a sustainable and efficient adsorbent for copper removal from contaminated water. Seven factors were studied for their influence on the adsorption process, including heavy metal concentration (50–250 ppm), biochar dosage (0.5–2.5 g), contact time (30 min to 29 h), temperature (20–80 °C), pH (2.67–8.07), and the efficacy of activated versus non-activated biochar, with activation carried out using phosphoric acid, silver nitrate, and sulfuric acid. Biochar characterization using Raman spectroscopy, specific surface area by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis (BET), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscopy—Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), and zeta potential analysis revealed its robust adsorption capacity. Notably, silver nitrate-loaded biochar exhibited the highest adsorption capacity (24.44 mg/g) at 250 ppm of copper and the highest removal rate at about 99.3%, whereas phosphoric acid activation reduced this capacity to 5 mg/g due to structural damage. Importantly, biochar’s adsorption capacity was found to be pH-independent, simplifying operational requirements for treatment systems. Optimal conditions for maximum copper removal were determined to be 100 ppm of copper, a temperature of 60 °C, and a contact time of 30 min. The Langmuir isotherm model best described the adsorption process, indicating a monolayer adsorption with a maximum capacity of 23.25 mg/g. This comprehensive analysis underscores biochar’s potential as a cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally friendly solution for copper removal from wastewater.

This study investigated the characteristics of banana peel biochar (BPB) produced from two particle sizes of banana waste at varying temperatures. The biochar yield decreased with increasing temperature and decreasing particle size. Physicochemical analysis showed the presence of amorphous carbon, fullerene, and chaolite in BPB produced at 500 °C. X-ray fluorescence(XRF) analysis showed high carbon, potassium, and chlorine percentages in BPB. BPB was found to be a promising adsorbent for copper (Cu²⁺) removal, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 54.9 mg/g and optimal Cu²⁺ concentrations for adsorption at 450 and 550 mg/L.

This research explores the dual role of biochar in addressing the escalating challenges of water salinity and pollution, focusing on its potential for both wastewater treatment and agricultural resilience. We investigated the adsorption capacity and efficiency of various biochar treatments to remove crystal violet dye from contaminated water. Biochar treated with H₂SO₄ demonstrated the highest adsorption capacity (450 mg/g). It consistently achieved 100% removal efficiency in all crystal violet concentrations tested, while silver-modified biochar showed a 99.95% removal rate at 50 ppm and an adsorption capacity of 5 mg/g. In agricultural applications, we evaluated the impact of biochar applications at concentrations of 1% and 3% on wheat crops irrigated with saline water of varying conductivity levels (0.63 and 10 dS/m). Wheat plants treated with 1% biochar exhibited the highest yield (26.6 cm) under 0.63 dS/m water conductivity, significantly outperforming the control group (17 cm). Biochar also resulted in elevated chlorophyll levels, with chlorophyll a ranging from 29.8 to 20.9 µg/mL and chlorophyll b ranging from 54 to 23 µg/mL, showing a marked improvement over the control. These findings demonstrate biochar’s potential to mitigate salinity-induced damage, with lower salinity conditions further enhancing chlorophyll a levels, while untreated plants showed reduced chlorophyll under high salinity.

In recent years, the rapidly growing essential oil industry has generated residues that, if improperly managed, can harm ecosystems by contaminating soil and water