Recent advances in starch-based magnetic adsorbents for the removal of contaminants from wastewater: A review

Considerable concern exists regarding water contamination by various pollutants, such as conventional pollut-ants (e.g., heavy metals and organics) and emerging micropollutants (e.g., consumer care products and inter-fering endocrine-related compounds). Currently, academics are continuously exploring sustainability-related materials and technologies to remove contaminants from wastewater. Magnetic starch-based adsorbents (MSAs) can combine the advantages of starch and magnetic nanoparticles, which exhibit unique critical features such as availability, cost-effectiveness, size, shape, crystallinity, magnetic properties, stability, adsorption properties, and excellent surface properties. However, limited reviews on MSAs' preparations, characterizations, applica-tions, and adsorption mechanisms could be available nowadays. Hence, this review not only focuses on their activation and preparation methods, including physical (e.g., mechanical activation treatment, microwave ra-diation treatment, sonication, and extrusion), chemical (e.g., grafting, cross-linking, oxidation and esterifica-tion), and enzymatic modifications to enhance their adsorption properties, but also offers an all-round state-of-the-art analysis of the full range of its characterization methods, the adsorption of various contaminants, and the underlying adsorption mechanisms. Eventually, this review focuses on the recycling and reclamation perfor-mance and highlights the main gaps in the areas where further studies are warranted. We hope that this review will spark an interdisciplinary discussion and bring about a revolution in the applications of MSAs.

Automated summary

This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the activation and preparation methods, characterization techniques, adsorption properties, and adsorption mechanisms of magnetic starch-based adsorbents (MSAs). It also highlights the recycling and reclamation performance of MSAs and identifies areas in need of further studies. The review aims to stimulate interdisciplinary discussions and revolutionize the applications of MSAs.