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  • Review

Nature-Based Hybrid Adsorbents for Emerging Contaminant Removal: Integrating Low-Cost Bioresources in the Water–Energy–Food Nexus

  • Timoth Mkilima

Received: 28 Aug 2025 | Revised: 04 Nov 2025 | Accepted: 12 Nov 2025 | Published: 18 Nov 2025

Abstract

The pervasive presence of emerging contaminants (ECs), including pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, dyes, and personal care products in water systems, poses a critical threat to environmental and public health. Conventional treatment methods often fail to remove these pollutants efficiently due to high costs, energy intensity, and limited selectivity. This review highlights the transformative potential of nature-based hybrid adsorbents, which synergistically combine biopolymers such as chitosan and alginate, agricultural wastes including banana peel and rice husk, and biochar with functional components like metal oxides, enzymes, or magnetic nanoparticles. These systems achieve relatively high removal efficiencies, often exceeding 90%, and record-breaking adsorption capacities, such as 586 mg/g for lead and 394 mg/g for pharmaceuticals, far surpassing conventional alternatives. By leveraging low-cost, renewable materials, they reduce operational expenses by 30–80% and minimise energy use and secondary waste. Furthermore, their integration within the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus supports resource recovery, water reuse, and progress toward multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals. Remaining challenges, including scalability, regeneration stability, and the ecological safety of nano-enhanced adsorbents, are critically addressed, with forward-looking insights into AI-assisted design and circular economy integration. Ultimately, this work highlights how bridging natural bioresources with advanced hybrid engineering can redefine sustainable water treatment paradigms.

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10.53941/eesus.2025.100023
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Volume 1, Issue 2
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Mkilima, T. Nature-Based Hybrid Adsorbents for Emerging Contaminant Removal: Integrating Low-Cost Bioresources in the Water–Energy–Food Nexus. Earth: Environmental Sustainability 2025, 1 (2), 276–302. https://doi.org/10.53941/eesus.2025.100023.
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