Retraction notice to “Novel electrochemical method to activate biochar derived from spent coffee grounds for enhanced adsorption of lead (Pb)” [Sci. Total Environ. 886 (2023) 163891] (Science of the Total Environment (2023) 886, (S0048969723025123), (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163891))

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier policy on Article Correction, Retraction and Removal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of a Journal Associate Editor. Post-publication, an investigation was conducted on behalf of the journal by Elsevier's Research Integrity & Publishing Ethics team. This investigation discovered that review of this submission was handled by Associate Editor Daniel Alessi despite an ongoing collaboration on a co-publication with three of the paper authors Kitae Baek, Jong-Gook Kim, Hye-Bin Kim at the time this manuscript was submitted. This compromised the editorial process and breached the journal's policies. Elsevier's Research Integrity & Publishing Ethics team reached out to the authors for an explanation, but they failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. The Associate Editor has lost confidence in the results and conclusions of the article and has determined it should be retracted. The authors disagree with retraction and dispute the grounds for it.