Biochar activation is achieved by removing tar formed in the pores during the thermal treatment of biomass, thereby increasing pore volume. This process typically involves entraining tar with steam at elevated temperatures for extended durations. In this study, a reduction in lignin content in grape seeds through partial solubilization, prior to thermal treatment, is proposed. Initially, grape seeds were treated with a basic sodium sulfide solution, followed by conditioning with either phosphoric acid or zinc chloride and then drying and calcination. The synthesized adsorbents were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), textural analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and evaluation of toluene adsorption capacity. Textural analysis indicated that conditioning with phosphoric acid or zinc chloride increased the specific surface area of biochar by over 20%, with a higher increase observed for phosphoric acid treatment. The toluene adsorption capacity of the adsorbents was assessed in a continuous fixed-bed system. Biochar pretreated with ZnCl₂ exhibited an adsorption capacity of 0.11 cm³ of toluene per gram, while biochar pretreated with phosphoric acid demonstrated a capacity of 0.14 cm³ per gram. These results indicate that preliminary delignification of grape seed biomass maintains its adsorption capacity of toluene at levels comparable to other adsorbents, despite a lower activation temperature.

New cosmeceuticals formulas (direct emulsion, inverse emulsion and hydrogel), that synergistically combine bioglass with retinol, were prepared and characterized in order to attenuate the irritant potential of retinoids and prolong their therapeutic efficacy. The study evaluates the physicochemical, microbiological and stability characteristics of these formulations. Thus, TGA and DSC analyses revealed stronger interactions between water molecules and those of other organic compounds, with much more being observed in the case of emulsions than in the case of hydrogel, materialized by the delay in water evaporation. The stability of the three types of formulations has been evaluated in two ways: by determining the backscattering variation with the height of the container and analyzing the sample for 6 h and by counting the fraction of small droplets. Both methods demonstrated high stability in the three types of formulations.