Remediation of environmental issues using graphene based materials for water purification: Synthesis, kinetics, and factors effecting the removal of heavy metal ions

Abstract

One of the main environmental contaminants that have caused considerable worry about the state of Mother Nature around the world is heavy metal pollution. In order to clean up the main causes of water pollution, composites made of better materials are urgently needed. Researchers discovered graphene, an allotrope of carbon, as a viable solution to the aforementioned issue because of its many desirable properties, including a very high adsorption capacity, a mesoporous width, and a large specific surface area. According to the current study, Graphene oxide (GO) and its composites have been extensively utilised for the removal of heavy metals like arsenic, nickel, cadmium, and mercury, with removal efficiencies of more than 80 %, 83.08 %, 98 %, and 99.3 %. An understanding of synthesis, physicochemical techniques, isotherms, methods of purifying water using materials based on graphene, factors affecting the removal of heavy metals and future perspectives with challenges in using graphene-based materials on a large scale are provided in this review. Different isotherm studies and significant uses of graphene and its composites in the management of water pollution are provided, along with numerous examples of the removal of various heavy metals for the purpose of water purification.