A Perspective on Ibuprofen Adsorption Studies from Aqueous Solutions by Activated Carbon-Based Adsorbents: A Review

The persistent presence of Ibuprofen (IBP) in surface and wastewater represents a growing environmental and public health concern, prompting extensive research into effective removal strategies. Among available treatment approaches, adsorption using activated carbon and other carbon-based materials has proven to be efficient, versatile, and economically feasible. This review provides a critical analysis of recent progress in the synthesis and modification of activated carbons, biochars, metal–organic framework-derived carbons, and magnetic composites for the adsorption of IBP from aqueous solutions. Key aspects discussed include synthesis methods, surface functionalization techniques, adsorption isotherms, and kinetic modeling, and the influence of operational parameters such as pH, temperature, adsorbent dosage, and the presence of competing substances. The adsorption mechanism is predominantly governed by π–π stacking, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic attraction, and pore-filling effects, with enhanced removal generally occurring under acidic conditions. Although many newly developed adsorbents demonstrate high capacity and satisfactory regeneration performance, most reported studies are limited to laboratory-scale conditions with IBP concentrations significantly higher than those typically found in real wastewater. Future research should focus on developing low-cost, waste-derived adsorbents, conducting experiments under realistic environmental conditions, optimizing regeneration processes, and integrating adsorption with complementary treatment technologies to achieve practical, scalable, and sustainable removal of pharmaceutical contaminants from aquatic environments.

کلیدواژه ها:

Ibuprofen adsorption ، Activated carbon ، Carbon-based adsorbents ، Wastewater Treatment ، adsorption mechanisms ، Environmental remediation