The potential of functionalized graphene-based composites for removing heavy metals and organic pollutants

The contamination of water sources with toxic pollutants such as heavy metals and organic compounds is a major environmental challenge in today's industrial era. These pollutants, which come from sources such as industries, agriculture, and domestic waste, could harm aquatic life and make the water unsafe for human use. Considering this issue in the combating environmental crises, removing pollutants from wastewater is one of the enduring environmental contests. Adsorption technology is an economical, fast, and efficient physicochemical method for eliminating both heavy metal and organic pollutants. In recent years, researchers have been exploring the use of functionalized graphene-based composite materials for the treatment of contaminated water, due to the large surface area, highly active surface, and exclusive physicochemical properties, which make them potential adsorbents with unique physicochemical properties. These materials, which could be developed using techniques such as chemical vapor deposition and chemical exfoliation, have been shown to effectively remove heavy metals and organic pollutants from water. This review article provides a thorough summary/critical appraisal of the published literature on graphene and its derivation based adsorbents for the removal of organic dyes and heavy metal ions pollutants from wastewater. The properties, synthesis methods, factor influence, mechanisms, and the performance of these substances are dissected. Finally, the research challenges, limitations, and future research studies are also discussed. Indeed, this review article will benefit the research community by getting substantial information on suitable techniques for synthesizing such adsorbents and utilizing them in water treatment and designing water treatment systems.