Innovative Biosorbents from Agro-Waste: Advancing Sustainable Solutions for Heavy Metal, Dye, and Organic Pollutant Removal
Mehwish Kiran, Fazal Haq, Sahid Mehmood, Tariq Aziz
Abstract
Ensuring clean water and safe food remains a global challenge due to the rising contamination of natural resources by heavy metals, dyes, and organic pollutants. This review highlights innovative, low-cost, and eco-friendly biosorbents derived from agricultural waste, presenting a comprehensive overview of their application in wastewater treatment. Unlike conventional reviews, this study categorizes a wide range of agro-waste materials including fruit peels, shells, husks, and plant residues according to their sorption properties and pollutant specificity. Notably, biosorbents such as activated carbon from rice husk, coconut shells, and banana peels demonstrated high adsorption capacities (up to 744.39 mg/g for dyes and 480.9 mg/g for heavy metals) under optimized conditions. The review further provides an in-depth analysis of chemical, thermal, and magnetic modifications that significantly enhance adsorption performance and selectivity. A key contribution of this work is the original economic analysis of these biosorbents, revealing their cost-effectiveness (as low as 0.49 €/kg) and practical scalability compared to commercial activated carbon. By integrating recent advancements, environmental implications, and regeneration potential, this review offers a valuable roadmap for researchers and practitioners aiming to implement sustainable, circular economy-based solutions in water purification systems.