Recent innovations in biosorbents for fluoride removal from groundwater: bibliometric analysis, mechanisms, applications, and sustainability perspectives

Abstract The global fluoride contamination of groundwater poses significant risks to health and the environment, making remediation methods unavoidable. To give an overall picture of the research environment, a bibliometric analysis is conducted to determine key publications, rising research hotspots, and top contributors in the research area. Between 2012 and 2014, few publications existed (∼100) but increased steadily to 200 per year by 2020 with increasing emphasis on water treatment. A steep increase post-2020 indicates advances in defluoridation technologies. Between 2012 and 2024, 2,994 papers by 7,232 authors were published, with an average of 28.63 citations per article and a growth rate of 12 % per year. The majority were research articles (89.5 %), while the proportion of reviews, book chapters, and conference papers were smaller. Additionally, this review incorporates sustainability factors through assessing cost-effectiveness, regenerative capability, environmental performance, and conformity with circular economy principles. The results identify major enhancements in biosorption performance but also emphasize a requirement for sophisticated modifications, hybrid systems, and pilot-scale investigations to close the gap between laboratory research and operational practice. In general, this study not only solidifies recent advances but also offers interdisciplinary insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners towards developing sustainable fluoride remediation measures.