Petroleum contamination poses a pressing global challenge due to its widespread environmental impact and technical difficulties of remediation. To address this challenge, we synthesized calcium peroxide (CaO 2 )-loaded biochar (BC) using Enteromorpha prolifera (a waste green alga) as the biomass precursor, aiming to enhance petroleum pollutant degradation efficiency. The characterization via TEM, EDS, and XRD demonstrated that nano-CaO 2 particles were uniformly loaded onto the Enteromorpha -derived BC, where the BC acted as both a dispersant and a catalyst. Batch experiments showed that 2.0 g/L of the Enteromorpha -derived biochar-calcium peroxide composite prepared at 600°C (CaBC-600) achieved 95.8% diesel degradation within 24 hr, confirming a synergistic effect between green alga-derived BC and CaO 2 . Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and quenching experiments revealed the generation of reactive oxygen species (·OH, O 2 − ·, 1 O 2 ) in the system, which served as the primary pathway for petroleum degradation. This work provides a reference for the green design and application of carbon-catalyzed advanced oxidation materials. It not only enables the resource utilization of waste biomass but also overcomes key limitations of the traditional CaO 2 and Fenton process-based technologies, including reliance on metal catalysts (e.g., iron) and narrow pH suitability (3.0–4.0).
Wang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.