Modified sorbents and their applications: A review

The discharge of heavy metal ions, persistent organic pollutants, and radioactive species into industrial effluents and wastewater poses a critical threat to environmental sustainability and public health. Conventional sorbent materials are often hindered by limited sorption capacity, poor selectivity, and insufficient reusability, which significantly restrict their large-scale applicability. To address these challenges, increasing research efforts have focused on the design of modified sorbents through chemical functionalization, polymer incorporation, and nanomaterial integration. These strategies have yielded sorbents with enhanced sorption performance, accelerated kinetics, tailored selectivity, and improved regeneration potential. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the synthesis approaches for modified sorbents, including chelating agent functionalization, polymer matrix hybridization, and nanoparticle-assisted modification. A growing body of evidence demonstrates the superior performance of modified sorbents in removing toxic heavy metal ions (Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺), synthetic dyes, and organic pollutants from aqueous environments. Finally, the review highlights emerging challenges and future prospects, with particular emphasis on the development of multifunctional, environmentally benign, and intelligent (“smart”) sorbent materials. Their potential for industrial-scale implementation and sustainable environmental remediation is discussed as a promising direction for future research.

کلیدواژه ها:

modified sorbents ، Heavy metal ions ، sorption capacity ، Nanomaterials ، Environmental remediation ، emerging challenges