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Review
. 2025 Aug 11;20(1):20251131.
doi: 10.1515/biol-2025-1131. eCollection 2025.

Cadmium toxicity, health risk and its remediation using low-cost biochar adsorbents

Lata Rani  1 , Jyotsna Kaushal  2   3 , Arun Lal Srivastav  4 , Shahab Abdulla  5 , Chander Prabha  3 , Herat Joshi  6
Affiliations
Review

Cadmium toxicity, health risk and its remediation using low-cost biochar adsorbents

Lata Rani et al. Open Life Sci. .

Abstract

Cadmium induces toxicity to both flora and fauna, even when it is present in trace amounts. Electroplating, pigments, smelting, mining, alloy production, plastic, cadmium-nickel batteries, fertilizers, pesticides, paint, synthesis of dye, textile operations, and refining sectors all release cadmium into the aquatic environment. "Solvent extraction, adsorption, ion exchange, and precipitation" are a few strategies for removing cadmium. Biochar is an inexpensive and sustainable adsorbent that has proven to be an efficacious adsorbent for the recovery of Cd(ii) from water. This study discusses the toxicity of cadmium as well as some recent developments of pristine biochar and modified biochar for the elimination of cadmium (Cd) from aqueous solution.

Keywords: adsorption; biochar; cadmium; mechanism; water treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) and (b) Toxic effects of cadmium on human health and mechanism.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mechanism of toxicity of cadmium in the human body.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Methods utilised for the recovery of cadmium from waste water.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Synthesis of biochar by the pyrolysis method.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Characterisation techniques for biochar.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Parameters determining the sustainability of the biochar.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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