Beyond Sustainable: Geo-Adaptive Design of Carbon-Based Adsorbents Through Aligning Pesticide Remediation with Regional Agricultural Practices and Food Safety Needs

The persistence of pesticide residues in food and water poses a significant challenge to global food safety, particularly under the pressures of intensive agriculture and climate variability. Despite significant progress in developing adsorbent materials for pesticide remediation, most approaches remain chemically optimized but geographically blind. This review introduces the concept of geo-adaptive design of carbon-based adsorbents, emphasizing that remediation materials should be tailored to the regional profiles of pesticide use, environmental conditions, and available biomass precursors. Pesticide contamination patterns vary widely across climates and agricultural systems, resulting in distinct chemical signatures that determine adsorption behavior. Simultaneously, locally abundant agro-industrial byproducts, such as walnut shells, rice husks, olive stones, or fruit pomace, offer sustainable carbon sources for region-specific materials. By correlating pesticide structure, adsorbent surface chemistry, and environmental parameters, geo-adaptive materials can be designed to maximize efficiency, selectivity, and sustainability in environmental remediation contexts, including the treatment of pesticide-contaminated soils and water streams. In addition, these materials may be integrated into food processing and packaging systems, where they can function as localized, low-cost mitigation strategies aligned with circular economy principles. The review highlights how regionally optimized carbon materials could connect advances in environmental remediation with the practical needs of food technology, leading toward food safety strategies that are both globally relevant and locally adaptable.