Modified Biopolymeric Materials for Aquatic Pollution Control: Adsorption Mechanisms and Potential Applications
Keywords:
Adsorption, Aquatic, Biopolymers, Modification, PollutionAbstract
Aquatic pollution caused by heavy metals, dyes, antibiotics, pesticides, and other organic contaminants poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystem sustainability. Although synthetic adsorbents exhibit high removal efficiency, their practical application is limited by high production costs, poor biodegradability, and the potential generation of secondary pollutants. Modified biopolymeric materials have emerged as promising alternatives due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and tunable functional groups. This review aims to examine the development of modified biopolymeric materials for aquatic pollution control, with emphasis on structure–property relationships, adsorption mechanisms, and potential applications. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted using articles published between 2021 and 2026 retrieved from the Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library, ACS Publications, and MDPI databases. The findings indicate that modification strategies, including crosslinking, grafting, functionalization, and composite or nanocomposite formation, significantly enhance surface area, porosity, structural stability, and the availability of active adsorption sites, thereby improving pollutant removal performance. The dominant adsorption mechanisms include electrostatic interactions, ion exchange, hydrogen bonding, complexation, and chelation, depending on the structural characteristics of the adsorbent and the physicochemical properties of the pollutants. Overall, modified cellulose-, chitosan-, alginate-, and carrageenan-based materials demonstrate considerable potential as sustainable adsorbents for aquatic pollution control and advanced water treatment
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