Application of conventional and emerging low-cost adsorbents as sustainable materials for removal of contaminants from water

The impact of water pollution has led to the search for cost-effective and environmentally friendly treatment processes to alleviate the associated environmental hazards. Adsorption is identified as an advanced treatment technology that offers simplicity and cheap alternatives to water treatment technologies when low-cost adsorbents such as industrial by-products, waste, and agricultural waste are utilized. The utilization of these materials as low-cost adsorbents for the treatment of drinking water will bring them some value. Several practices have been done to improve the removal efficiencies of the low-cost adsorbents in order to achieve WHO standards of drinking water quality. The paper highlights some of the synthesis routes employed for the modification of low-cost adsorbents. This updated review provides information on the different applications of low-cost adsorbents in removing pollutants and their adsorption capacities in an attempt to deploy the recent sustainable low-cost adsorbents with high removal efficiencies for water treatment. Future research should focus on the fabrication of hybrid low-cost adsorbents with multifunctional and antimicrobial properties. In addition, life cycle assessment (LCA) should be conducted to reveal the environmental burdens associated with the modification of the low-cost adsorbent to improve their removal efficiencies.