Pomegranate peel adsorbents for water pollutants removal: preparation, characterization and applications

Pomegranate peel waste in the forms of raw biomass, biochar and activated carbon has been explored as adsorbents in water treatment. This review examined and discussed published works between 2008 and 2024 that focused on the utilization of pomegranate peel waste adsorbents with emphasis on preparation strategies, characterization techniques and applications. The thermal and chemical activation have shown to improve the structural and chemical properties of the resultant adsorbent materials to effectively adsorb various pollutants such as dyes, heavy metals, organics, inorganic nonmetals, and pharmaceuticals from water. The performance was compared and the avenues for future research was highlighted to shed insight into the potential of pomegranate peel adsorbents for environmental protection.