Sorption Activity of Plant Biosorbents in Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater plays a crucial role in deteriorating water quality and can significantly affect human health and ecosystems if discharged without proper treatment. Among available treatment methods, adsorption is often considered an effective, relatively inexpensive, and environmentally friendly purification technique, but its efficiency depends on the sorbents used. The use of low-cost biosorbents with high adsorption capacity is widely studied. These include various biomaterials such as microalgae, cyanobacteria, fungi, and plant materials. The utilization of different biosorbents derived from plant waste, such as Paulownia wood, aspen, hickory, Ziziphus bark, peach tree shavings, as well as grasses such as red fescue and reed, and Sargassum algae in natural and modified forms, is a crucial research direction. Such studies highlight the potential to address waste issues by repurposing it as biosorbents. Several studies have examined the ability of different biosorbents to treat wastewater and suggested that the physicochemical properties of the material's surface, such as specific surface area, pore size, and pore volume, play a decisive role in adsorption capacity. A quantitative analysis of plant-based biosorbents will significantly aid in developing water treatment systems and achieving optimal adsorption through modifications of their physicochemical properties. Furthermore, the analysis will help understand the relative importance of each physicochemical property in determining adsorption capacity, thereby contributing to the implementation of treatment methods targeting specific pollutants. Keywords: biosorption, plant sorbents, adsorption capacity, wastewater