Recent developments in the adsorption of uranium ions from wastewater/seawater using carbon-based adsorbents

The presence of uranium ions with extended half-life or heat emissions can lead to enduring environmental damage. Moreover, they can potentially enter the food chain posing risks to health due to their toxicity and radioactivity. Therefore, it is crucial to develop techniques and materials to effectively remove these ions, especially uranium ions from contaminated water sources. In recent times various carbon-based materials have gained attention as adsorbents for removing different organic/inorganic impurities from wastewater. These materials possess superior surface properties that can be easily modified to have a specific surface area with different structural variations. In this review article, we discussed the recent advancement in using different carbon-based adsorbents for the removal/recovery of uranium ions from wastewater. Further, different methods to prepare carbon-based adsorbents and their composites with other materials are discussed in detail. The key mechanisms involved in the adsorption of uranium ions using different carbon-based adsorbents are discussed in detail. The main objective of this article is to provide helpful information on how uranium ions can be effectively removed using carbon-based adsorbents. In conclusion, our discussion includes addressing the existing constraints and proposing directions for future investigation to promote substantial advancements in the domains of using carbon-based adsorbents for uranium-contaminated wastewater remediation applications.