ABSTRACT Activated carbon (AC) is a vital porous material with a longstanding history of utilization as an adsorbent. Typically manufactured from fossil precursors such as coal and petroleum coke, its production raises concerns about sustainability and carbon dioxide emissions. In response, biomass has become an appealing, readily accessible renewable resource for AC production, providing a means to support circular economy models by valorizing waste streams. This review provides a comprehensive and critical overview of the progression from biomass to multifunctional activated materials carbon. We carefully analyze integrated production methods, including carbonization and various activation techniques (chemical, physical, physicochemical, and microwave), assessing their advantages and disadvantages, as well as their effects on key parameters such as surface area, pore volume, and yield. Furthermore, we critically evaluate the impact of synthesis parameters like temperature, duration, and impregnation ratio on the final properties of carbons. Moving beyond traditional adsorption, this review highlights cutting‐edge applications of biomass‐derived activated carbon, particularly in sustainable energy storage (e.g., supercapacitors, sodium‐ion batteries, and lithium‐ion batteries) and environmental remediation (removing dyes, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and other pollutants from wastewater). This review synthesizes extensive information to guide the design of high‐performance, biomass‐derived AC for specific multifunctional uses.
Hossen et al. (Sun,) studied this question.