Single-atom catalysts derived from biomass: low-cost and high-performance persulfate activators for water decontamination

Single atom catalysts (SACs) offer tremendous opportunities in water remediation by catalyzing persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes. The bottleneck is the mass production of SACs with high performance and low cost. To this end, biomass-derived biochars are the cost-effective and promising precursors for developing SACs because of their desirable properties such as structural stability, porous architecture, abundant functionality, and rich nitrogen-containing compounds (e.g. proteins). In this mini review, we examine the synthesis of SACs from diverse biomass-derived biochars and evaluate key factors such as biomass compositions and thermal conditions that can impact their performances. The review discusses the activity of biomass-derived SACs for activating persulfate, highlighting their roles as catalysts and focusing on their center metal species, coordination environment, and carbon structures. Furthermore, we address the challenges and future prospects of using biomass-derived SACs in environmental remediation.