Mitigation of environmentally hazardous pollutants by magnetically responsive composite materials

Abstract

At present, environmental contamination has become an emerging issue among researchers. These facts are due to the adverse impacts of an alarming number of recalcitrant contaminants that can affect both humans and animals. There is an urgent need to develop eco-friendly approaches to mitigate the effects of toxic pollutants from the environment. Magnetically responsive composite-based sorbents are very interesting and popular materials for pollutant abatement owing to the high specific surface area, superior adsorption capacity, and magnetic properties, which make their easy separation from sample solution/media. In this review article, we discuss various synthesis approaches, key physicochemical properties, and applications of magnetic composites for pollutant removal. Current gaps for coping with contamination are identified, and a comprehensive outlook in pollutant treatment using magnetic composites is outlined. This study unveils new horizons to researches for better understanding the properties of magnetically-composite-based sorbents and their application in environmental remediation.

Keywords: Environmental pollution; Heavy metals; Magnetic composites; Oil/water separation; Pesticides; Pollutants removal; Synthesis approaches.