Table 3.

Removal of diverse groups of pharmaceutical pollutants with agro-industrial wastes.

Pharmaceutical Drug	Chemical Structure	Ci (mg/L)	Agro-Industrial Waste	Agro-Industrial Waste Treatment	Biosorbent Concentration (g/L)	Time (h)	Removal Percentage	qmax (mg/g) Langmuir Model	Reference	DMRR (mg/g·h)
Neurological/Psychoactive
Carbamazepine 1		25	Banana peel activated carbon	Activated carbon by H3PO4, carbonized at 350 °C, 450 °C, and 500 °C.	1.5	2	90.62	338.98	[231]	7.6
		5–100	Wheat straw	Pyrolyzed at 550 °C and 700 °C, respectively, crushed and sieved, washed with HCl and deionized water.	0.05	24	-	15.9	[238]	-
			Softwood				-	20.5		-
		4.7	Biochar of paper mill sludge	Pyrolyzed at 800 °C, washed with HCl and distilled water, and dried at 105 °C.	0.15	0.25	-	17.48	[273]	-
		100	Activated biochar from grapefruit peel	Pyrolyzed at 400 °C, mixed with KOH.	0.01	24	58.6	286.5	[274]	244.2
		0.005	Pinewood nanobiochar	Pyrolyzed at 525 °C; nanobiochar with an average size of 60 ± 20 nm.	0.005	3	95	0.074	[275]	0.3
		100	Activated carbons from peach stones	Crushed and sieved, added H3PO4, calcined at 435 °C, washed with ultrapure water, and dried at 110 °C.	0.12	4	-	335	[276]	-
		5	Rice straw	Dried, cut, pulverized, sieved, and dried at 60 °C.	60	2	75.3	40.0	[277]	1.2
Fluoxetine 2		30	Alperujo	Dried alperujo was covered with distilled water, heated at 160–220 °C, dried at 50 °C, and sieved.	0.125	24	-	33.24	[241]	-
Paroxetine 2		6.6	Biochar of paper mill sludge	Pyrolyzed at 800 °C, washed with HCl and distilled water, and dried at 105 °C.	0.15	0.25	-	21.08	[273]	-
Sertraline 2		20	Mango stones	Stones were washed with deionized water and dried at 105 °C for 24 h, ground, sieved, and FeSO4.7H2O was added; the biosorbent was filtered, washed, and dried at 105 °C.	0.01	24	76.97	64.79	[278]	64.1
Diazepam 3		0.00034	Bagasse	Biochar of bagasse was pelletized, and two natural draft gasifier stoves (N1 and N2) were used.	0.05	24	78	-	[279]	0.00022
Oxazepam 3		5.7	Biochar of paper mill sludge	Pyrolyzed at 800 °C, washed with HCl and distilled water, and dried at 105 °C.	0.15	0.25	-	20.07	[273]	-
Pramipexole 4		50	Activated carbon from potato peel	Washed with distilled water, dried 120 °C, heated to 200 °C, mixed with KOH, filtered, dried at 100 °C, and activated at 400, 600, and 800 °C.	1	24	61	98	[280]	1.3
Antimicrobials/Antiparasitics
Triclosan		3–60	Wheat straw	Pyrolyzed at 550 °C and 700 °C, respectively, crushed and sieved, washed with HCl and deionized water.	0.05	24	-	20.3	[238]	-
			Softwood				-	30.2		-
		20	Wheat straw ashes	The acidification of ashes was carried out using 2 M HCl, mixture at 70 °C, filtered, dried at 105 °C.	1	0.5	30	-	[214]	12.2
Chloroquine		20	Mango stones	Stones were washed with deionized water and dried at 105 °C for 24 h, ground, sieved, and added with FeSO4.7H2O; the biosorbent was filtered, washed, and dried at 105 °C.	0.01	24	95.95	49.92	[278]	80.0
		100	Sugarcane bagasse	Sugarcane bagasse was dried 24 h at 100 °C, and then was milled, sieved, and stored in a freezer at −2 °C until being modified as hydrochar.	0.02	1	63.69	73.45	[281]	3184.5
Albendazole		75	Activated carbons of acorns of cork	Pyrolyzed at 500 °C, impregnated with H3PO4.	2.4	1	99.97	137.2	[282]	31.2
Sulfapyridine		10	Biochar of bagasse	Pyrolyzed at 300, 400, and 600 °C; washed with deionized water; dried; crushed; and sieved.	0.1	24	69.64	8.60	[217]	2.9
Sulfathiazole		0.5–50	Bamboo biochar	Cut into 0.6–2 mm size particles, pyrolyzed at 380 °C, cooled, ground, washed, and dried. Adding with H3PO4, heated 50 °C and heated at 600 °C, cooled, washed with distilled water, and dried at 120 °C.	0.1	24	-	25.11	[218]	-
Hormones
17α-ethinyl estradiol		0.2632	Raw peanut shells (Arachis hypogaea)	Raw peanut shells underwent washing, drying, grinding, sieving, and chemical treatments.	2	24	90	0.0173	[283]	0.0049
		20	Wheat straw ashes	The acidification of ashes was accomplished using 2 M HCl, mixture at 70 °C, filtering, drying at 105 °C.	1	0.5	15	-	[214]	6.0
17β-estradiol		5	Rice husk	The biochar of rice husks was obtained by pyrolysis at 600 °C.	0.5	1	60.1	-	[284]	6.0
		11.3	Rice husk	Washed with ultrapure water, agitated to 200 rpm for 24 h, and filtered in cellulose ester membranes (0.45 µm).	12	1	94.9	1.649	[285]	0.4
Estriol		8.0	Rice husk	Washed with ultrapure water, agitated to 200 rpm for 24 h, and filtered in cellulose ester membranes (0.45 µm).	12	1.5	82.5	0.979	[285]	0.3
Estrone		5	Rice husk	The biochar of rice husks was obtained by pyrolysis at 600 °C.	0.5	1	44.6	-	[284]	4.5
		10.5	Rice husk	Washed with ultrapure water, agitated to 200 rpm for 24 h, and filtered in cellulose ester membranes (0.45 µm).	4	0.5	86.3	2.698	[285]	2.3
Dexamethasone 5		4	Activated biochar of Syzygium cumini leaves	Washed with potable water, dried at 60 °C, ground, sieved, mixed with ZnCl2, and pyrolyzed at 600 °C.	5	3	53.02	0.673	[286]	0.1
Other
Octocrylene 6		5	Rice husk	The biochar of rice husks was obtained by pyrolysis at 600 °C.	0.5	1	59.4	-	[284]	5.9
Oxybenzone 6		5	Rice husk	The biochar of rice husks was obtained by pyrolysis at 600 °C.	0.5	1	37.4	-	[284]	3.7
Salicylic acid 7		100	Pinewood biochar	Pyrolyzed at 425 °C, washed with distilled water, sieved, heated at 110 °C.	4	16	76.0	22.70	[272]	1.2
Atenolol 8		1	Miscanthus x giganteus biochar	Air-dried, cut, pyrolyzed at 360 °C.	0.5	4	69	-	[211]	0.3
Carboplatin 9		100	Rice husk ash	Rice husk ashes were heated at 105 °C for 1.5 h and sieved.	1	1	36.52	9.9	[249]	36.5
Clofibric acid 10		5	Rice straw	Dried, cut, pulverized, sieved, and dried at 60 °C.	30	2	42.5	126.3	[277]	0.04
Dorzolamide 11		50	Activated carbon from potato peel	Washed with distilled water, dried at 120 °C, heated at 200 °C, mixed with KOH, filtered, dried at 100 °C, and activated at 400, 600, and 800 °C.	1	24	55	92	[280]	1.1
Metformin 12		30	Seed husks of Moringa oleifera Lam.	Moringa oleifera Lam. husks were peeled and washed with deionized water at 45 °C, transferred to nitric acid for 1 h, dried for 12 h, placed in an oven at 300 °C for 1 h, cooled, ground, and sieved.	0.03	15	93.54	28.05	[287]	62.4
Metoclopramide 13		0.000299	Bagasse	Biochar of bagasse was pelletized and used two natural draft gasifier stoves (N1 and N2).	0.05	24	97	-	[279]	0.00024
Ranitidine 14		100	Activated carbon of mung bean husk (MBH)	Washed with distilled water, dried, carbonized at 550 °C.	0.75	1.5	99.16	28	[288]	88.1

Ci = initial concentration; q_max = maximum absorption according to the adsorption isotherm model Langmuir/Freundlich; DMRR= drug mass removal rate, calculated in this review; ¹ antiepileptic; ² antidepressant; ³ antianxiety; ⁴ dopaminergic; ⁵ glucocorticoid, ⁶ cosmetic sunlight protector; ⁷ keratolytic agent; ⁸ antihypertensive; ⁹ anticancerogenic; ¹⁰ anticholesterolemic; ¹¹ ophthalmic; ¹² antidiabetic; ¹³ antiemetic; ¹⁴ antihistaminic.