Current State of Porous Carbon for Wastewater Treatment

Porous materials constitute an attractive research field due to their high specific surfaces; high chemical stabilities; abundant pores; special electrical, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties; and their often higher reactivities. These materials are currently generating a great deal of enthusiasm, and they have been used in large and diverse applications, such as those relating to sensors and biosensors, catalysis and biocatalysis, separation and purification techniques, acoustic and electrical insulation, transport gas or charged species, drug delivery, and electrochemistry. Porous carbons are an important class of porous materials that have grown rapidly in recent years. They have the advantages of a tunable pore structure, good physical and chemical stability, a variable specific surface, and the possibility of easy functionalization. This gives them new properties and allows them to improve their performance for a given application. This review paper intends to understand how porous carbons involve the removal of pollutants from water, e.g., heavy metal ions, dyes, and organic or inorganic molecules. First, a general overview description of the different precursors and the manufacturing methods of porous carbons is illustrated. The second part is devoted to reporting some applications such using porous carbon materials as an adsorbent. It appears that the use of porous materials at different scales for these applications is very promising for wastewater treatment industries.