Waste dairy protein-derived biochar hydrogel for combating livestock pathogens

In the modernization of the livestock industry, the issue of high concentrations of pathogenic bacteria in livestock environments induced by intensive farming models has become increasingly prominent. This has emerged as a bottleneck constraining the sustainable development of the livestock sector. In this study, we proposed a “treating waste withwaste” sustainable strategy by converting waste dairy protein into biochar (BC) hydrogel to combat livestock pathogens. The as-obtained biochar hydrogel exhibited excellent mechanical properties, efficient photothermal conversion characteristics, and high stability. More significantly, the antibacterial assays demonstrated that under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, the hydrogel completely eliminated >10 5 CFU/mL of livestock pathogens within 30 min, including Acinetobacter sp. A4, Escherichia coli , and Staphylococcus aureus . This study provides a feasible technical pathway for the targeted management of pathogenic microorganisms in livestock environments and realizes the high-value utilization of dairy waste, offering a sustainable solution that aligns with the development needs of the livestock industry.