Strategically engineering 2D MXene-based advanced adsorbents for sustainable wastewater remediation of dyes

Abstract

The exponential growth of the global population in the digital era has accelerated urbanization and industrialization, leading to severe complex water pollution from the discharge of toxic dyes into aquatic ecosystems. Two dimensional (2D) MXene-based nano-adsorbents recently emerged as promising candidates for developing sustainable wastewater remediation technologies due to their tunable physicochemical properties, including a high negative zeta potential, a large specific surface area, exceptional adsorption capacity, superior electrical and thermal conductivity, hydrophilicity, and rich surface chemistry. Strategic optimization approaches for MXenes, encompassing interlayer spacing modification, surface engineering, stoichiometric tuning, morphological control, bandgap engineering, membrane fabrication, hybridization, and functionalization, have significantly enhanced their adsorptive performance and dye removal efficiency for real-time wastewater treatment applications. This comprehensive review examines the latest advances in MXene-based nano-adsorbent engineering and their implementation as key components in wastewater treatment strategies for efficient dye removal from industrial effluents, providing fundamental insights into dye–MXene interactions to elucidate underlying complex removal mechanisms. The review highlights the sustainable characteristics of MXene-based nano-adsorbents, including their dye removal capacity, regeneration potential, recyclability, catalytic efficiency, and enhanced physicochemical properties, while addressing critical challenges, such as toxicity concerns, biocompatibility issues, and scalability limitations, that currently hinder their translation from the laboratory to the market. Innovative solutions are proposed through the integration of digital-age technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches, with the implementation of these recommendations facilitating the establishment of MXene-based nano-adsorbents as sustainable alternatives to conventional commercial adsorbents. This aligns with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and contributes to the principles of One Health, promoting global welfare.