Date palm biochar and date palm activated carbon as green adsorbent-synthesis and application

Abstract

Purpose of Review: The issue of improper wastewater treatment disposal from various sources is a global issue that needs immediate tackling. The increase in global population, sustainable agricultural practice, and heightened energy production demand has increased the need for clean water supply to multiple fold. It is therefore a continuous challenge to develop technique that could treat the wastewater as efficient but at a lower production cost with sustainable supply of raw materials. Recent Findings: Apart from the extensively studied forest and forest industry residues, date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) offers an exciting future as a sustainable raw material to produce biochar and/or activated carbon that can be employed as a green adsorbent in wastewater treatment application. Various carbonization and activation techniques have been reported for date palm waste biomass as well as its potential applications. Nevertheless, there are very few literatures available on the benchmarking of each date palm biomass type for its characteristics, production methods, and pollutant removal capabilities. Summary: This review highlights some of the carbonization and activation methods available to manufacture biochar and activated carbon from date palm followed by some examples of its applications. Even though date palm biomass can be found in huge volume in date palm-growing area such as the Arab region, few reports are available on its utilization in actual industrial processes, pollutant removal from water system, for example. This review offers new insight into the conversion techniques of date palm biomass, its characterization, and evaluation of its pollutant removal capacity, among others. This work is envisaged to shed insight into a comprehensive outlook on the promising applications of date palm biomass to produce potent green adsorbents as well as its potential applications in other economic sectors.