{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,18]],"date-time":"2026-03-18T13:17:35Z","timestamp":1773839855662,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,17]],"date-time":"2025-08-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755388800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"FCT\u2014Foundation for Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2023.03677.BDANA (DOI 10.54499\/2023.03677.BDANA)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023.03677.BDANA (DOI 10.54499\/2023.03677.BDANA)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"FCT\u2014Foundation for Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDB\/00681, (DOI 10.54499\/UIDP\/00681\/2020)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00681, (DOI 10.54499\/UIDP\/00681\/2020)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"FCT\u2014Foundation for Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDB\/00239\/2020 (DOI 10.54499\/UIDB\/00239\/2020)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00239\/2020 (DOI 10.54499\/UIDB\/00239\/2020)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"CERNAS-IPV Research Centre","award":["2023.03677.BDANA (DOI 10.54499\/2023.03677.BDANA)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023.03677.BDANA (DOI 10.54499\/2023.03677.BDANA)"]}]},{"name":"CERNAS-IPV Research Centre","award":["UIDB\/00681, (DOI 10.54499\/UIDP\/00681\/2020)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00681, (DOI 10.54499\/UIDP\/00681\/2020)"]}]},{"name":"CERNAS-IPV Research Centre","award":["UIDB\/00239\/2020 (DOI 10.54499\/UIDB\/00239\/2020)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00239\/2020 (DOI 10.54499\/UIDB\/00239\/2020)"]}]},{"name":"Forest Research Centre (CEF)","award":["2023.03677.BDANA (DOI 10.54499\/2023.03677.BDANA)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023.03677.BDANA (DOI 10.54499\/2023.03677.BDANA)"]}]},{"name":"Forest Research Centre (CEF)","award":["UIDB\/00681, (DOI 10.54499\/UIDP\/00681\/2020)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00681, (DOI 10.54499\/UIDP\/00681\/2020)"]}]},{"name":"Forest Research Centre (CEF)","award":["UIDB\/00239\/2020 (DOI 10.54499\/UIDB\/00239\/2020)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00239\/2020 (DOI 10.54499\/UIDB\/00239\/2020)"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Environments"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Empty pinecones are a largely available byproduct of Pinus pinea L. nut production, mostly concentrated in the Mediterranean area; e.g., in Portugal, around 70,000 tons of pinecones are produced annually. One valorization line for residual biomass is its use as biosorbents for the removal of contaminants in effluents and water courses which are an increasing environmental problem. This study explores the biosorbent potential of pinecones to remove zinc ions from aqueous solutions. We analyzed the morphology and chemical composition of pinecones (9.4% extractives, 37.0% lignin, 68.6% holocellulose, 1.4% ash). The effect of pH and adsorbent dose on the adsorption process was studied, as were the sorption kinetics and isotherms. The pinecones showed good potential to remove Zn ions, with 96% removal at pH 7 and a maximum adsorption capacity of 7.92 mg g\u22121. The process followed the Freundlich isotherm model, indicating a heterogeneous surface and multilayer adsorption, and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, suggesting chemisorption as the dominant mechanism. The use of pinecones as bio-adsorbent is therefore a green and low-cost alternative for environmental remediation and biomass waste management.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/environments12080284","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,18]],"date-time":"2025-08-18T11:31:37Z","timestamp":1755516697000},"page":"284","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Valorization of Pinecones as Biosorbents for Environmental Remediation of Zn-Contaminated Wastewaters"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2833-5465","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Morgana","family":"Macena","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CEF-Forest Research Centre, Associate Laboratory TERRA, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal"},{"name":"CERNAS-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, Campus Polit\u00e9cnico, Repeses, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6502-7202","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lu\u00edsa","family":"Cruz-Lopes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CERNAS-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, Campus Polit\u00e9cnico, Repeses, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Lucas","family":"Grosche","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"4iTec Lusit\u00e2nia S.A., Lugar do Pombal, Zona Industrial do Salgueiro, 3530-259 Mangualde, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6660-3128","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bruno","family":"Esteves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CERNAS-IPV Research Centre, Polytechnic University of Viseu, Campus Polit\u00e9cnico, Repeses, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8607-4323","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isabel","family":"Santos-Vieira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CICECO\u2014Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5393-4443","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Helena","family":"Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEF-Forest Research Centre, Associate Laboratory TERRA, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.1016\/j.minpro.2016.01.017","article-title":"Binary Biosorption of Copper and Lead onto Pine Cone Shell in Batch Reactors and in Fixed Bed Columns","volume":"148","author":"Calero","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. 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