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Open research questions in Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal

1,033 gap statements mined from Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,615 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • A limitation of this study is the lack of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis, which could provide further evidence of the nanoscale morphology and distribution of MnO2 on the biochar.

    Manganese Oxide-Functionalized Palm Leaf Biochar for High-Efficiency Ciprofloxacin Adsorption from Water · 2026 · DOI

  • Few studies have quantified the total potential RDOC release from macrophytes relative to their initial carbon content (POC). However, the limited number of observations providing estimates of RDOC (n = 19) and considerable variation in methodological approaches highlight the need for further research to better constrain this relatively understudied potential longer-lived carbon storage pathway.

    Release and bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon derived from Fucus serratus and Zostera marina · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on developing efficient and low-cost modification techniques to enhance material adsorption capacity and selectivity, and further investigate adsorption mechanisms and synergistic interaction patterns under complex environmental conditions to improve theoretical frameworks.

    Recent Progress in Adsorption Removal of Heavy Metal Ions from Wastewater Using Biomass-Based Materials · 2026 · DOI

  • The study also mentions the need to optimize the adsorption conditions, including contact time and initial Cu(II) concentrations.

    Enhanced Cu(II) adsorption by KOH-Activated sewage sludge char: role of microporosity and oxygen functional groups · 2026 · DOI

  • In batch tests, the large-particle biochar retained 85% of its initial PCM adsorption capacity after three adsorption–desorption cycles using a short ethanol regeneration without drying, whereas regeneration under fixed-bed operation remains to be evaluated.

    Removal of Paracetamol, Amoxicillin and Triclosan from Synthetic Solutions and Wastewater Using Hazelnut Shell and Biochar: From Batch Adsorption to Fixed-Bed Application · 2026 · DOI

  • The field is currently limited by a predominance of batch studies using synthetic effluents, with a lack of pilot-scale and continuous-flow validations under realistic wastewater matrices. Long-term stability, regeneration capacity, and the reuse of these adsorbents over multiple cycles remain underexplored, directly impacting their practical feasibility.

    Advances and Perspectives on Valorization of Grape Pomace into Functional Materials for Water and Wastewater Purification · 2026 · DOI

  • The present study builds on this body of work by examining a complementary and previously underexplored aspect, namely that selective removal of specific toxic VOC species can produce disproportionately large reductions in biological toxicity.

    Selective removal of toxic VOCs by algae-derived biochar dramatically reduces the toxicity of asphalt emissions · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should investigate post-adsorption characterization, such as FTIR, or XPS, which could provide further evidence of adsorbate–adsorbent interactions and help elucidate the proposed adsorption mechanisms.

    Comparative Adsorption Removal of Sildenafil and Tadalafil Using Biomass-Derived Activated Carbon and DDAB-Modified Montmorillonite · 2026 · DOI

  • An important limitation is that the experiments were conducted under controlled batch conditions using a commercial formulation containing SBECD rather than isolated Remdesivir in a real wastewater matrix.

    Hazelnut Husk Waste-Derived Activated Carbon for Adsorption of a Remdesivir-Containing Commercial Formulation: Equilibrium, Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Studies · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research should focus on experiments with multicomponent systems and real water or wastewater matrices to assess the effects of competing ions, natural organic matter, and ionic strength, while regeneration, metal recovery, and safe management of the spent biosorbent should be investigated to evaluate its practical and environmental feasibility.

    Valorization of Invasive Faxonius limosus Shell Waste as a Biosorbent for Zn(II) and Cd(II) Removal from Aqueous Solutions · 2026 · DOI

  • The limited specific surface area and underdeveloped pore structure of pristine nickel oxide. The lack of highly efficient, eco-friendly adsorbent materials for dye wastewater treatment. The need for a structural modulator to improve the adsorption performance of NiO.

    Rosin-based gemini surfactant-controlled synthesis of NiO for dye adsorption · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies should evaluate the performance of these carbon-based adsorbents at different initial concentrations of the dyes and in the presence of other components commonly found in natural waters, including an analysis under real conditions for greater representativeness. Conducting tests with shorter contact times for the target pollutant would also help optimize the project design.

    Agro-Industrial Waste Upcycling into Activated Carbons: A Sustainable Approach for Dye Removal and Wastewater Treatment · 2025 · DOI

  • Despite its potential, challenges remain regarding long-term stability, scalability, and environmental safety, due to the potential release of environmental pollutants associated with excessive use, which could lead to ecological problems.

    Biochar for Wastewater Treatment: Preparation, Modification, Characterization, and Its Applications · 2025 · DOI

  • While fixed-bed columns and real wastewater trials have provided encouraging results, challenges such as adsorbent fouling, regeneration efficiency, and long-term stability remain underexplored at the pilot and industrial scales. However, it is crucial to recognize that many findings are still limited to laboratory-scale studies.

    A Comprehensive Review of Agricultural Residue-Derived Bioadsorbents for Emerging Contaminant Removal · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on optimizing the pyrolysis process to further enhance the structural properties of C-PET-PU and exploring its adsorption capabilities for a wider range of pollutants.

    From Waste to Worth: Innovative Pyrolysis of Textile Waste into Microporous Carbons for Enhanced Environmental Sustainability · 2025 · DOI

  • The review reveals that biomass-derived adsorbents—whether in raw, carbonized, or activated forms—offer a promising, low-cost, and eco-friendly solution for removing a broad range of anionic and cationic dyes. Their high surface area, abundant functional groups, and chemical tunability enable superior adsorption performance under optimized pH, temperature, and contact time conditions.

    From Biomass to Adsorbent: A Comprehensive Review on Bio-Derived Carbons for Dye Removal · 2026 · DOI

  • These results suggest that incorporating the yeast can enhance Cd2+ removal efficiency under the tested conditions, although its contribution to the material’s total capacity may be limited by the amount of immobilized biomass.

    Biosorption of Cd2+ from Water Using Rhodotorula sp. Immobilized on Rice Husk · 2026 · DOI

  • However, because BET surface−area, pore−volume, pHpzc, and zeta−potential measurements were not performed, the quantitative contributions of surface area, pore structure, and surface charge to azithromycin adsorption could not be established.

    Effective Removal of Azithromycin from Aqueous Solution Using Coconut Husk Derived Boric Acid−Modified Biochar · 2026 · DOI

  • Some of the most important issues in adsorption involving lignocellulosic materials are as follows: 1.

    A Review on Advances in the Use of Raw and Modified Agricultural Lignocellulosic Residues in Mono- and Multicomponent Continuous Adsorption of Inorganic Pollutants for Upscaling Technologies · 2025 · DOI

  • Future work should focus on further improving adsorption capacity through additional pretreatments with higher environmental performance, and on the aspects most relevant to field deployment, such as validation with real groundwater matrices (competing ions, dissolved oxygen, iron oxidation state), assessment of regeneration and adsorbent service life, and characterization of the spent, iron-loaded biomass to define…

    Biomass Valorization Through Applications in the Continuous Removal of Iron from Water: Batch Equilibrium and Fixed-Bed Adsorption · 2026 · DOI

  • To our knowledge, such a discrepancy generates a potential gap between field conditions and lab-based consequences, underscoring the urgent necessity for global evolution under eco-friendly circumstances.

    Cellulose-Based Composite Hydrogels for Heavy Metal Ion Removal: Recent Advances and Engineering Perspectives · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies on the effects of different activation methods on the adsorption performance of sewage sludge char, - Investigation of the adsorption mechanisms of other heavy metals on KOH-modified sewage sludge…

    Enhanced Cu(II) adsorption by KOH-Activated sewage sludge char: role of microporosity and oxygen functional groups · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies should integrate post-adsorption studies of FTIR, HRTEM, and FESEM to investigate the chemical evidence on the interaction between the adsorbate…

    Application of Response Surface Methodology, Isotherms, and Kinetics in Metronidazole Removal from Water Using Highly Porous Maize Cob Activated Carbon · 2026 · DOI

  • To the authors’ knowledge, the orientation 01002003004006007008009001000Qe (mg/g)Ce (mg/L) 25 °C 35 °C 45 °C ModelRR201002003004007508008509009501000Qe (mg/g)Ce (mg/L) 25 °C 35 °C 45 °C…

    Outstanding Adsorption of Reactive Red 2 and Reactive Blue 19 Dyes on MIL-101 (Cr): Novel Physicochemical Analysis of Underlying Mechanism Through Statistical Physics Modeling · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the release mechanism of N- P-MIL-156-H in soil remains unclear, as soil constitutes an extremely complex system where physical, chemical, and biological factors may collectively affect the structural stability…

    Hierarchically Porous Metal–Organic Frameworks-Based Controlled-Release Fertilizer: Improved Nutrient Loading and Rice Growth · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The field is currently limited by a predominance of batch studies using synthetic effluents, with a lack of pilot-scale and continuous-flow validations under realistic wastewater matrices (“Advances and Perspectives on Valorization of Grape Pomace into Functional…”, 2026); (2) Future research should investigate post-adsorption characterization, such as FTIR, or XPS, which could provide further evidence of adsorbate–adsorbent interactions and help elucidate the proposed adsorption mechanisms (“Comparative Adsorption Removal of Sildenafil and Tadalafil Using…”, 2026); (3) The lack of highly efficient, eco-friendly adsorbent materials for dye wastewater treatment (“Rosin-based gemini surfactant-controlled synthesis of NiO for dye adsorption”, 2026); (4) While fixed-bed columns and real wastewater trials have provided encouraging results, challenges such as adsorbent fouling, regeneration efficiency, and long-term stability remain underexplored at the pilot and industrial scales (“A Comprehensive Review of Agricultural Residue-Derived Bioadsorbents for…”, 2025); (5) Future research should focus on optimizing the pyrolysis process to further enhance the structural properties of C-PET-PU and exploring its adsorption capabilities for a wider range of pollutants (“From Waste to Worth: Innovative Pyrolysis of Textile Waste into Microporous…”, 2025). 1,033 gap statements have been mined from Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,615 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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