Skip to main content
. 2022 Jun 22;12(8):185. doi: 10.1007/s13201-022-01703-6

Table 7.

Promising low-cost adsorbents and their performances

SL No Type Adsorbent Maximum sorption capacity (mg/g) Maximum removal (%) Advantage Limitations References
1 Natural material Activated Aloji clay 333.3 97.3 Can be used over a wide range of pH and temperature

Limited field applications

No information on reusability

Production cost is unknown

Obayomi and Outa (2019)
2 Bentonite 119.7 98.1 Applicable for other heavy metals Pfeifer et al. (2020)
3 Zeolite 137.0 99.5 Applicable for other heavy metals
4 Industrial byproduct Ladle Furnace steel dust 208.9 Applicable for industrial effluent

Toxicity data is not available

Reproducibility should be investigated

Cost information is not available

Bouabidi et al. (2018)
5 Sunflower wood waste fly ash 138.4 99.8 Applicable for other heavy metals Kalak et al. (2021)
6 Fly ash mixed with geopolymer 118.6 Can be used over a wide range of pH and temperature Liu et al. (2016)
7 Steel slag 59.8 85.6 Applicable for other heavy metals Pfeifer et al. (2020)
9 Agricultural waste Carboxylated jute stick-derived activated carbon 2079.0 99.8 Quick removal

Toxicity, reusability, and cost should be investigated

Removal process depends on temperature

Aziz et al. (2019)
10 Lentil husk 81.4 98.0 Applicable for industrial effluent, easily desorbed Basu et al. (2015)
11 Rice husk nanocomposite 1665.0 96.8 Regeneration without significant effect on efficiency Kamari et al. (2019)
12 Functionalized graphene from rice husk 748.5 99.8 Applicable for industrial effluent Mahmoud et al. (2020)
13 Coffee endocarp waste treated with NaOH 272.6 89.9 Can be applicable for other heavy metals Mariana et al. (2021)
14 Formaldehyde-treated Onion skin 200.0 93.5 Can be used over a wide range of pH Saka et al. (2011)
15 Magnetic rice husk biochar 129.0 91.7 Applicable for other heavy metals, recyclable Wang et al (2018)
16 Dehydrated banana peels biochar 359.0  > 90.0 Can be used over a wide range of pH Zhou et al (2017)
17 Fresh banana peels biochar 193.0  > 90.0
18 Forest waste Citrus limetta leaves 69.8 99.5 Applicable for other heavy metals

Limited field applications

No information on reusability

Production cost is unknown

Aboli et al (2020)
19 Carpobrotus edulis 175.6 98.0 Applicable for other heavy metals Benhima et al (2008)
20 Leaf powder Azadirachta indica (neem) 300.0 93.0 Can be used over a wide range of pH Bhattacharyya and Sharm (2004)
21 Viscum album leaves 769.2 92.2 Can be used over a wide range of temperature Erenturk and Malko (2007)
22 Schleichera oleosa bark 69.4 97.0 Recyclable, can be used over a wide range of pH and temperature Khatoon et al. (2008)
23 Natural condensed tannin 114.9 91.0 Favorable in lead removal from acidic wastewater Zhan and Zhao (2003)
24 Biotechnology-based material Phosphate-modified baker's yeast 92.0 88.2 Excellent regeneration capability

May not be feasible for drinking water applications

Information on toxicity and health effects is not available

Liu et al. (2018)
25 Iron oxide modified clay-activated carbon composite beads 74.2 95.0 Applicable for other heavy metals Pawar et al. (2018)
26 Bio-hybrid silsesquioxane/yeast 248.0 82.0 Quick removal Trama-Freitas et al. (2017)