A review on adsorptive removal of dye pollutants from wastewater using nanoadsorbents--颗粒学报PARTICUOLOGY

a Department of Applied Sciences, Chandigarh Engineering College-CGC, Landran, Mohali, Punjab, 140307, India
b Department of Chemistry, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32C, Chandigarh, 160030, India
c Department of Chemistry and CAS, Panjab University, Sector 14, Chandigarh, U. T., 160014, India

10.1016/j.partic.2026.01.033

Volume 111, April 2026, Pages 70-90

Received 16 September 2025, Revised 23 January 2026, Accepted 28 January 2026, Available online 7 February 2026, Version of Record 16 February 2026.

E-mail: shewta.wadhawan@ggdsd.ac.in

Highlights

• Reviews major nanoadsorbents (metal oxides, carbon nanostructures, biomass-derived nanomaterials, MXenes and g-C₃N₄) with 2-10 times higher dye uptake.

• Elucidates dominant dye adsorption mechanisms and effects of pH, temperature, contact time, adsorbent dose, dye concentration and co-ions.

• Evaluates regeneration and reusability, showing75-90%adsorption efficiencies retained over repeated cycles.

• Highlights scalability, stability, environmental safety challenges and future directions for industrial-scale application.

Abstract

Industrial effluents are the major source of persistent and non-biodegradable synthetic dyes that pose serious health and environmental threats. Among the various treatment methods, adsorption has emerged as a simple, cost-effective and highly efficient (>90%) approach for dye removal from wastewater. In this context, nanoadsorbents have gained considerable attention due to large surface areas (10-1000 m² g^-1), tunable porosity, functionalized surfaces enabling the adsorption capacities 2-10 times higher than those of conventional adsorbents. A wide range of nanoadsorbents including metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) (MgO, TiO₂, Fe₃O₄, ZnO etc.), carbon-based nanostructures (graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes etc.), biomass driven nano sized entities and emerging nanoadsorbents such as MXenes, g-C₃N₄ have been explored for efficient removal of both cationic and anionic dyes. Dye adsorption is governed by mechanisms such as electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, and surface complexation which are strongly influenced by pH, temperature, initial dye concentration and adsorbent dose. Importantly, regeneration studies indicate that many nanoadsorbents retain 75–90% of their initial efficiency over the multiple cycles highlighting their reusability and economic potential. This review critically summarizes recent advancements in nanoadsorbent-based dye removal with emphasis on adsorption mechanism, process parameters, regeneration performance along with addressing the key challenges related to scalability, long term stability, and potential environmental risks that must be resolved for sustainable wastewater treatment.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Dye pollution; Adsorption; Nanoadsorbents; Isotherms; Kinetics

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