Insights into the Applications of Natural Fibers to Metal Separation from Aqueous Solutions

There is a wide range of renewable materials with attractive prospects for the development of green technologies for the removal and recovery of metals from aqueous streams. A special category among them are natural fibers of biological origin, which combine remarkable biosorption properties with th...

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Main Author: Lavinia Tofan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-05-01
Series:Polymers
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/15/9/2178
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author Lavinia Tofan
author_facet Lavinia Tofan
author_sort Lavinia Tofan
collection DOAJ
description There is a wide range of renewable materials with attractive prospects for the development of green technologies for the removal and recovery of metals from aqueous streams. A special category among them are natural fibers of biological origin, which combine remarkable biosorption properties with the adaptability of useful forms for cleanup and recycling purposes. To support the efficient exploitation of these advantages, this article reviews the current state of research on the potential and real applications of natural cellulosic and protein fibers as biosorbents for the sequestration of metals from aqueous solutions. The discussion on the scientific literature reports is made in sections that consider the classification and characterization of natural fibers and the analysis of performances of lignocellulosic biofibers and wool, silk, and human hair waste fibers to the metal uptake from diluted aqueous solutions. Finally, future research directions are recommended. Compared to other reviews, this work debates, systematizes, and correlates the available data on the metal biosorption on plant and protein biofibers, under non-competitive and competitive conditions, from synthetic, simulated, and real solutions, providing a deep insight into the biosorbents based on both types of eco-friendly fibers.
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spelling doaj.art-149bea8729164357941d38abdcae718d2023-11-17T23:36:15ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602023-05-01159217810.3390/polym15092178Insights into the Applications of Natural Fibers to Metal Separation from Aqueous SolutionsLavinia Tofan0Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, “Cristofor Simionescu” Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, 73 Prof.Dr. D. Mangeron Blvd., 700050 Iasi, RomaniaThere is a wide range of renewable materials with attractive prospects for the development of green technologies for the removal and recovery of metals from aqueous streams. A special category among them are natural fibers of biological origin, which combine remarkable biosorption properties with the adaptability of useful forms for cleanup and recycling purposes. To support the efficient exploitation of these advantages, this article reviews the current state of research on the potential and real applications of natural cellulosic and protein fibers as biosorbents for the sequestration of metals from aqueous solutions. The discussion on the scientific literature reports is made in sections that consider the classification and characterization of natural fibers and the analysis of performances of lignocellulosic biofibers and wool, silk, and human hair waste fibers to the metal uptake from diluted aqueous solutions. Finally, future research directions are recommended. Compared to other reviews, this work debates, systematizes, and correlates the available data on the metal biosorption on plant and protein biofibers, under non-competitive and competitive conditions, from synthetic, simulated, and real solutions, providing a deep insight into the biosorbents based on both types of eco-friendly fibers.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/15/9/2178natural lignocellulosic fibersnatural protein fibersbiosorptionmetalsremovalrecycling
spellingShingle Lavinia Tofan
Insights into the Applications of Natural Fibers to Metal Separation from Aqueous Solutions
Polymers
natural lignocellulosic fibers
natural protein fibers
biosorption
metals
removal
recycling
title Insights into the Applications of Natural Fibers to Metal Separation from Aqueous Solutions
title_full Insights into the Applications of Natural Fibers to Metal Separation from Aqueous Solutions
title_fullStr Insights into the Applications of Natural Fibers to Metal Separation from Aqueous Solutions
title_full_unstemmed Insights into the Applications of Natural Fibers to Metal Separation from Aqueous Solutions
title_short Insights into the Applications of Natural Fibers to Metal Separation from Aqueous Solutions
title_sort insights into the applications of natural fibers to metal separation from aqueous solutions
topic natural lignocellulosic fibers
natural protein fibers
biosorption
metals
removal
recycling
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/15/9/2178
work_keys_str_mv AT laviniatofan insightsintotheapplicationsofnaturalfiberstometalseparationfromaqueoussolutions