A comprehensive review on removal of environmental pollutants using a surfactant based remediation process

Abstract

Surfactants are considered amphiphilic substances, having excellent adsorption and association capabilities, offering them the potential for a variety of techniques designed to eliminate pollution and preserve the natural world. Surfactants are not only used to remove the oil-leakage menace but are equally important in removing several pollutants such as heavy metals, dyes, industrial wastes, several pesticides, pharmaceutical wastes, and other toxic compounds. These pollutants have a very alarming impact on human health and on the ecosystem as a whole. Traditional remediation processes are inadequate, tedious, or limited by technology and expense. Surfactants are good at removing these pollutants from diverse media. In this review, a comprehensive and systematic analysis is presented for the remediation of these pollutants using surfactants. We aim to provide the most recent and accurate information on the use of surfactants to help eliminate a varied range of toxic agents from waste water, including volatile organic compounds, personal care products, pharmaceutical effluents, dyes, pesticides, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Authors have also discussed why these pollutants occur and how surfactants might help reduce them. Different forms of surfactants provide a wide range of possibilities, as demonstrated by both laboratory studies and real-world procedures. Among surfactants, bio-surfactants and blended surfactants are superior and warrant consideration. For example, more research into developing and deploying novel bio-surfactants has the potential to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and economy of wastewater treatment systems.