Strategically Engineering 2D MXenes-based Advanced Adsorbents for Sustainable Wastewater Remediation of Dyes

Abstract

The exponentially increasing demand of the growing global population in the digital age has led to urbanization and industrialization, causing water pollution due to the discharge of toxic dyes into aquatic environments. Recently, 2D MXenes-based nano-adsorbents demonstrated enormous potential in developing sustainable wastewater remediation technologies. This is owing to MXene’s tunable physicochemical attributes, which include high negative zeta potential, large specific surface area, exceptional adsorption capabilities, significant electric and thermal conductivities, hydrophilicity, and abundant surface chemistry. Besides, the innovations in strategic optimization of MXenes, including interlayer-space defect, surface, stochiometric, morphology and band-gap engineering, membrane preparation, hybridization and functionalization, have improved their adsorptive efficacies and dye-removal capacities, aiding effective wastewater treatment. This detailed review highlights the latest advancements in strategically MXene-based nano-adsorbent engineering and their integration as crucial vectors in wastewater treatment strategies through efficient dye removal from efflux. It provides a fundamental insight of the interaction between different dyes and MXenes-nanosystems to understand the dye removal mechanism. It emphasizes sustainable adsorptive characteristics of MXene-based nano-adsorbents, including dye removal capability, regeneration potential, recyclability, catalytic efficacy, and physiochemical attribute advancements. Besides, it highlights the challenges such as toxicity, biocompatibility and scalability, which are hindering their laboratory-to-market transition with innovative solutions by integrating digital-age technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Adopting these recommendations and prospects will aid in establishing MXene-based nanoadsorbents as sustainable alternatives to conventional commercialized adsorbents, considering the UN’s sustainable development goals and contributing to the welfare of One Health.