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This review critically assesses adsorption-based ammonium removal and sets performance benchmarks for future adsorbent designs.

June 4, 2026Open Access

Ammonium removal from wastewater: advances, challenges and future prospects with microelectronic sludge as a prospective adsorbent precursor

Key Points

This review critically assesses adsorption-based ammonium removal and sets performance benchmarks for future adsorbent designs.
Narrative review of adsorbent materials and mechanisms for ammonium removal.
Bibliometric analysis of research growth from Scopus and Web of Science databases (2010–2025, n = 810).
Evaluation of microelectronic sludge as a potential adsorbent precursor.
Adoption of microelectronic sludge as an adsorbent precursor has not been previously explored in published research.
Chemisorption at active sites is the primary mechanism for ammonium uptake, influenced by multi-ion competition.
Long-term performance of existing adsorbents under real wastewater conditions remains inadequately validated.

Abstract

Abstract Ammonium (NH 4 ⁺) contamination in wastewater drives eutrophication and oxygen depletion, yet conventional biological treatment delivers inconsistent removal under variable and high-strength influent conditions. Adsorption has emerged as a flexible complementary strategy. However, its performance in real wastewater is constrained by competitive cation interference, regeneration instability, and a persistent gap between laboratory and operational outcomes. This review aims to critically evaluate adsorption-based NH 4 ⁺ removal and to establish mechanistic and performance benchmarks for next-generation adsorbent design. The analysis integrates evaluation of adsorbent materials, removal mechanisms, operational factors, and regeneration behaviour, supported by a bibliometric assessment of Scopus and Web of Science databases (2010–2025, n = 810). The results confirm rapid research growth while revealing no published studies investigating microelectronic sludge (MES) as a prospective adsorbent precursor. Mechanistic evaluation indicates that chemisorption at finite active sites governs NH 4 ⁺ uptake, making adsorption performance sensitive to multi-ion competition. Materials with multiple concurrent interaction pathways generally outperform single-mechanism systems, nevertheless, adsorption capacity declines progressively during regeneration, and long-term performance under real conditions remains insufficiently validated. These findings highlight a fundamental limitation in current adsorbent design to sustain selectivity and stability under realistic wastewater conditions. MES is proposed as a compositionally integrated precursor candidate. Its SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 –Fe oxide matrix enables ion exchange, electrostatic interaction, and surface complexation without external modification. Addressing this performance gap requires systematic investigation of MES adsorption behaviour, regeneration stability, and co-contaminant leaching under realistic wastewater effluent conditions.

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Hairuddin et al. (Mon,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2115d7d499ed480b16ee9f https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-026-07301-2

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