Regeneration strategies for spent solid matrices used in adsorption of organic pollutants from surface water: a critical review

Abstract

Adsorption is a very important physicochemical process used for several purposes including separation and purification of proteins and in water treatment. This article reviews the various strategies that have been employed in the regeneration of spent adsorbents used in the adsorption of organic pollutants from aqueous solutions. The principles, advantages, disadvantages, and factors influencing each of these techniques are discussed. Future perspectives on the use of these techniques in regeneration process are provided for further studies with the view to make the regeneration process of spent solids more efficient and sustainable.

Keywords:

• Regeneration
• Degradation
• Organic pollutants
• Sustainable
• Activated carbon
• Adsorbents
• Water treatment

Acknowledgment

E.I. Unuabonah is grateful to The World Academy of Science (TWAS)-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Chinese Academy of Sciences and the State Key Laboratory for Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, China, for a research associateship fellowship that enabled the writing of this article.