Green sorbents from agricultural wastes: A review of sustainable adsorption materials

Abstract

Rapid growth in socio-economic requirements and climatic change has put much pressure on the quality of water resources. To prevent the future shortage of fresh water and to keep up with the current demand for water, wastewater reuse, and recycling are among the most pressing issues that must be addressed immediately. So far, many technologies have been used to remove both inorganic and organic pollutants from wastewater. Unfortunately, modern water treatment technologies are still out of reach financially for many developing nations, making it difficult for them to eliminate these toxins. Moreover, increasing environmental toxicity from solid waste exposures is also a major cause of worry. Intending to combat these issues, research efforts have increased to develop an efficient, eco-friendly and low cost biosorbent from agricultural waste to treat wastewater. As a result, there has been an increased focus on identifying locally and regionally accessible agriculture wastes for the removal of heavy metals/metalloids and dyes. This article aims to review a multidisciplinary approach to handle agriculture waste as a potential resource for wastewater treatment. A comprehensive discussion is included on the fundamentals of the biosorption and the involved mechanism. The strategies to improve the efficiency of biosorbents are discussed. In addition, current developments in various biosorbents derived from different agricultural waste and their application to remove toxic elements using diverse methods have been reviewed to set the stage for further investigation. Finally, regeneration of biosorbents and current challenges to implement biosorbents are addressed. This article will help to bridge the gap between laboratory findings and industrial application, leading to the development of more efficient systems for removing pollutants.