Emerging organic pollutants (EOPs), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, dyes, and endocrine-disrupting compounds, are increasingly detected in aquatic environments worldwide. These contaminants pose significant environmental and human health risks due to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and potential to induce antibiotic resistance. Conventional wastewater treatment technologies, such as biological treatment, coagulation, and membrane filtration, often fail to remove these trace contaminants efficiently, necessitating alternative remediation strategies. Biomass-derived biochar and activated carbon (AC) have emerged as promising, sustainable, and cost-effective adsorbents due to their high surface area, tunable porosity, and abundant surface functional groups. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the production, activation, and surface modification of biochar and AC, along with the adsorption mechanisms involved in EOP removal. Factors influencing adsorption performance, such as solution chemistry, pollutant properties, and adsorbent characteristics, are discussed. Challenges, environmental and economic considerations, and future perspectives including engineered composites and hybrid treatment systems are also highlighted. Overall, biomass-derived adsorbents present a viable and environmentally sustainable solution for mitigating emerging organic contaminants in wastewater.
Musa Husaini (Sun,) studied this question.