TY - JOUR

T1 - Sustainable re-utilization of waste materials as adsorbents for water and wastewater treatment in Africa

T2 - Recent studies, research gaps, and way forward for emerging economies

AU - Ngeno, Emily Chelangat

AU - Mbuci, Kinyua E.

AU - Necibi, Mohamed Chaker

AU - Shikuku, Victor Odhiambo

AU - Olisah, Chijioke

AU - Ongulu, Roselyn

AU - Matovu, Henry

AU - Ssebugere, Patrick

AU - Abushaban, Almotasembellah

AU - Sillanpää, Mika

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors

PY - 2022/10

Y1 - 2022/10

N2 - Access to clean water is a fundamental human right. However, due to the rapid urbanization and industrialization in many African countries, the emergence of a plethora of new classes of water contaminants coupled with aging wastewater treatment infrastructure and technologies, access to clean water has remained elusive especially to rural communities. Additionally, most countries in Africa cannot afford the capital investment associated with advanced and specialized treatment technologies. The solution seems to be the valorization of locally-sourced waste materials and their use as adsorbents, flocculants/coagulants, or photocatalysts, to be included in current and future wastewater treatment facilities. The present review presents a concise and comprehensive compilation, and critique of recent research water purification studies in Africa using waste-based adsorbents. While the abundance of industrial and agricultural wastes presents opportunity for sustainable exploitation for water treatment, several gaps warrant further research. Specifically, future research should include life cycle assessment (LCA) of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and proposed technologies, in-depth cost analysis, use of environmentally relevant concentrations in simulated studies or real wastewaters and examination of removal efficiencies for biological contaminants such as viruses, bacteria among others. Waste materials are shown to be suitable candidates for delivery of effective and techno-economic adsorbents for water purification in African countries.

AB - Access to clean water is a fundamental human right. However, due to the rapid urbanization and industrialization in many African countries, the emergence of a plethora of new classes of water contaminants coupled with aging wastewater treatment infrastructure and technologies, access to clean water has remained elusive especially to rural communities. Additionally, most countries in Africa cannot afford the capital investment associated with advanced and specialized treatment technologies. The solution seems to be the valorization of locally-sourced waste materials and their use as adsorbents, flocculants/coagulants, or photocatalysts, to be included in current and future wastewater treatment facilities. The present review presents a concise and comprehensive compilation, and critique of recent research water purification studies in Africa using waste-based adsorbents. While the abundance of industrial and agricultural wastes presents opportunity for sustainable exploitation for water treatment, several gaps warrant further research. Specifically, future research should include life cycle assessment (LCA) of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and proposed technologies, in-depth cost analysis, use of environmentally relevant concentrations in simulated studies or real wastewaters and examination of removal efficiencies for biological contaminants such as viruses, bacteria among others. Waste materials are shown to be suitable candidates for delivery of effective and techno-economic adsorbents for water purification in African countries.

KW - Adsorption

KW - Africa

KW - Pollutants

KW - Waste materials

KW - Wastewater treatment

U2 - 10.1016/j.envadv.2022.100282

DO - 10.1016/j.envadv.2022.100282

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85136569907

VL - 9

JO - Environmental Advances

JF - Environmental Advances

SN - 2666-7657

M1 - 100282

ER -