This study used Wood-Based Activated Carbon Fibers Paperboard (WACFP) to investigate the water activity (Aw), color difference (sup deltaE*) change, and percent weight with various Aw foods in the environment systems at the relative humidity of (RH) 90 and 40% and temperature of 25degC, which were expected to be references for food moisture-proof material. From the Aw result, WACFPs was 0.47-0.50, which was lower than the habitat for general microorganisms. WACFP with 40% wood-based activated carbon fibers (WACFs) had better stability for high, intermediate, and low Aw foods (HAwF, MAwF, and LAwF) in the RH 90 or 40% environment than the other specimens. In the RH 90% environment, the hygroscopic ability of WACFP was 4.49-6.18%; while that at RH 40% was 1.69-2.20%. According to the simulation results of WACFPs, as food moisture-proof material in HAwF, MAwF, and LAwF in the RH 90% environment, WACFPs had a good stability in MAwF. The Aw change was 0.02-0.03, the sup deltaE* change was 1.24-2.70, and the percent weight was -0.26-0.31%. In terms of RH 40%, better stability occurred in HAwF, where the difference of Aw was 0.02-0.03, the sup deltaE* change was 1.23-2.83, and the percent weight was -1.22 - -1.24%. The developed WACFP; therefore, can be an optional food moisture-proof material for different Aw food systems.

In this study, apricot-pit-based activated carbon was functionalized and used as a sorbent for the preconcentration of lead (Pb²⁺) in different water and food samples. The activated sorbent was modified with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to enhance its selectivity for the efficient removal of Pb²⁺ ions. The modified activated sorbent was characterized using FTIR, an SEM, BET, and TGA. The column adsorption method was used to study the adsorption capacity of synthesized and modified activated carbon and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. A multivariate procedure, i.e., Plackett–Burman design (PBD) and central composite design (CCD), was studied for optimizing the adsorption process, which allows the optimization of multiple variables at the same time. An interference study was conducted to ascertain the selectivity of the developed method. The developed method was validated by assessing certified reference materials and additional standards for Pb²⁺ detection in real samples. To assess the precision of the proposed procedure, repeatability (RSD_r) and reproducibility (RSD_R) were calculated, which were determined to be <3.0 (n = 7) and <7.5 (n = 15), respectively. The obtained results revealed that the modified AC is a suitable and efficient sorbent for the preconcentration of Pb²⁺ in real water and food samples.

The effluent of food waste (FWE) is generated during food waste treatment process. It contains high organic matter content and is difficult to be efficiently treated. In this study, the sample was collected from a 200 t/d food waste treatment center in Hangzhou, China. Subcritical and supercritical water gasification were employed to decompose and convert FWE into energy. The effects of reaction temperature (300–500 °C), residence time (20–70 min) and activated carbon loading (0.5–3.5 wt%) on syngas production and the remaining pollutants in liquid residue were investigated. It was found that higher reaction temperature and longer residence time favored gasification and pollutant decomposition, resulting in higher H₂ production and gasification efficiencies. It is noteworthy that the NH₃-N was difficult to be converted and removed under current experimental conditions. The addition of activated carbon was found to increase the gasification efficiency. The highest total gas yield, H₂ yield, carbon conversion efficiency, gasification efficiency, total organic carbon removal efficiency and chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency were obtained from gasification at 500 °C for 70 min with 3.5 wt% activated carbon.

Wastewater from a food-manufacturing plant with a low concentration of organic matter below 100 mg/l TOC was first treated at 37 degrees C in an anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor (AFBR) or in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB). The TOC removal efficiency in both reactors decreased from 85% to 65% as the influent TOC concentration decreased from 100 to 35 mg/l at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 h. Treatment at an HRT of 4 h resulted in an effluent TOC concentration of 11 to 15 mg/l. The concentration of suspended solids in the effluent could be reduced to 20 mg/l, which corresponded to 7% of that of the influent. The effluent from both reactors was then treated anaerobically in a fixed-bed reactor system. The TOC concentration and optical density (OD) of the effluent from the aerobic treatment were reduced to 5 mg/l and 0.005, respectively, at an HRT of 2 h. When anaerobically or aerobically treated effluent was pressed over an activated carbon column, the effluent TOC concentration was reduced to 2 to 3 mg/l. The conductivity of 1.3 mS/cm in raw wastewater, which was not removed through the above treatments, was reduced to 0.001 mS/cm on an ion-exchange resin column. An effluent quality corresponding to that of ultra-pure water for industrial use was finally attained by the treatment in this multi-step system.