Fe₃O₄-activated pistachio shell biochar as a magnetic support for enhanced toluene removal: performance of an immobilized biohybrid system.

Authors

Lidia Gallego-Mena, Diego A Hernández-Ospina, Richard Martel, Satinder K Brar, Luz Sánchez-Silva

Published in

Environmental science and pollution research international. Jun 24, 2026. Epub Jun 24, 2026.

Abstract

Developing efficient and sustainable strategies for removing monoaromatic pollutants remains a major challenge in environmental engineering. This study evaluated a biohybrid system based on immobilising a bacterial co-culture of Microbacterium esteraromaticum and Serratia fonticola onto Fe_₃O_₄-activated pistachio shell biochar for aerobic toluene removal from water. The performance of free and immobilised cells was compared at initial toluene concentrations of 50 and 200 mg L⁻¹. Growth assays showed strain-dependent tolerance, with M. esteraromaticum displaying the highest resistance, while the co-culture maintained stable growth across all conditions. Immobilisation on magnetically activated biochar enhanced biomass retention and biodegradation compared to free cells and nonmagnetic supports, particularly at high pollutant loads. The immobilised co-culture achieved over 90% toluene removal within 48 h at 200 mg L⁻¹. These findings highlight magnetically activated agro-waste biochar as an effective and sustainable support for biohybrid systems, offering a promising approach for treating monoaromatic hydrocarbons in contaminated waters.

PMID:
42340590
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Jun 2026.

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