A brief commentary on activated carbon material as an efficient low-cost material for water decontamination

Abstract

Activated carbon material, the low lost but very effective absorbent, can easily be synthesized from various naturally occurring bio-waste plants containing the enriched carbonaceous materials, like,coconut shell, peels of various fruits and vegetables, agricultural byproduct, husk, flower, carbonized lignite, coal etc.The high adsorption efficiency of such materials is the resultant of the high degree of porous structure and numerous reports are available on their properties. Development of such natural adsorbents attracted many researchers due to its specific efficiency for removing inorganic and organic compounds other than heavy metals from waste water. Unlike various other photocatalytic nanoparticles, the fundamental advantage of using activated carbon to remove pollutants from water is that it does not produce toxic byproducts after adsorption. However, substantial efforts on improving the potential activity of carbon are still on the run using varying chemical treatment and surface modification to improve its enhancement towards specific contaminants. This report primarily focuses on the raw precursor’s material, the route of synthesis, different methods of modification and factors influencing the adsorption potential of activated carbon. Detailed information on the improvement on the surface, properties and its application on the water treatment have also been provided. Research reports on removal of harmful dyes, heavy metal, and emerging pollutants from waste water, water remediation are taken into account.