Remediation of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds and Organic Dye Pollutants Through Biosorbents in a Circular Bioeconomy: Prospects and Constraints

Abstract

The presence of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) and organic dye pollutants in water may have toxic, hazardous, and carcinogenic effects on exposure. The recent advances in research on biomaterial synthesis, characterization, and applications have attracted a lot of researchers in this area. The physical, chemical, and thermal characteristics of green synthesized materials help to facilitate their interactions with a variety of water pollutants. The use of green synthesized nanomaterials as eco-friendly sorbents increases the value of wastes and naturally available compounds utilized during its synthesis. The major advantage of the adsorption process is that it does not involve the formation of additional toxic by-products, unlike other treatments. Several operational parameters like pH, nanomaterial dose, reaction time, pollutant concentration, other contaminants, and temperature may influence the adsorption process. The adsorptive interactions between bio-based material and water pollutants may be through electrostatic, covalent (H-bond and Van der Waals forces), π- π, and n- π bonds. Many isotherm and kinetic models are used to validate the experimental results for adsorption. The simplicity, eco-friendly, and cost-effective nature of pollutant adsorption through biosorbents provides scope for its utility on a large scale. The circular bioeconomy motivates the close the loop concept through the generation of the least waste, utilization of created wastes, and maximum utility of naturally available substances. The prospects regarding the application of biosorbents for the elimination of EDCs and organic dyes in a circular bioeconomy are explained and constraints concerning it are discussed in this work.