Biomass-based graphene aerogel for the removal of emerging pollutants from wastewater

Abstract

The emerging pollutants present in wastewater have become an important scientific and social concern because of their detrimental effect on human health and the ecosystem. To remove these emerging pollutants from wastewater, the conventional methods are insufficient. Therefore, innovative, cost effective, and efficient approaches are required to handle this rising problem. Biomass-based graphene aerogels showed an effective solution for the removal of emerging pollutants from wastewater because of their exceptional properties, such as large surface area, tunable pore structures, and high adsorption capacity, which make them highly efficient for the removal of a wide range of pollutants. This review article provides a detailed overview of the synthesis techniques of graphene aerogels and highlights the influence of fabrication parameters on the performance of the resulting aerogels. Furthermore, this review discusses emerging pollutants and their classification in detail along with detection of emerging pollutants using graphene aerogels. This review further explores the application potential of biomass-based graphene aerogels in wastewater treatment, such as adsorbents, photocatalysts, graphene aerogel-based membranes, etc. emphasizing their capability to remove diverse classes of emerging pollutants. Finally, the conclusion and future prospects in the development and application of biomass-based graphene aerogels for the removal of emerging pollutants from wastewater are discussed. This review underscores the need for further research to optimize the synthesis processes, enhance the adsorption capacity, and evaluate the long-term performance of graphene aerogels in real-world wastewater treatment scenarios.