On the combination of modern sorbents with cost analysis: A review

Abstract

Τhis review paper investigates the modern trends of sorption, presenting examples of the use of sorbents for the removal of dyes and heavy metal ions, in line with estimations of the cost fingerprint through combined calculations of raw material and energy data. The feasibility of the selected materials was explored by estimation of synthetic route cost. The examined synthetic routes include activated carbon samples derived from potato peels, coffee residues, as well as graphene oxide and chitosan. The synthesis steps and the appropriate apparatus, adsorption capacity, equilibrium parameters for the adsorption of heavy metals and dyes from aqueous solution are presented. Furthermore, the findings were compared for kinetic properties (pseudo-first, -second and -third order adsorption rate), and the costs of raw materials and energy of the selected synthetic routes were explored. A comparative study was carried out in order to evaluate the adsorption capacity of some recently published adsorbents, since their high adsorption capacity, in line with their low cost, make them very attractive and promising candidates for industrial use. The equilibrium and kinetics parameters were calculated according to the Langmuir, Freundlich and Langmuir-Freundlich (L-F) equations.