Review of Magnetic Adsorbents for Heavy Metals in Sludge Leachate: Synthesis, Mechanism, and Performance Evaluation.
- 2026-04-22
- Materials (Basel, Switzerland) 19(9)
- Shenglong Zhong
- Shouming Hu
- Ming Li
- Xuyu Jiang
- Jin Qi
- Lihua Huang
- Kai Zhu
- Zongwei Xia
- Nan Yu
- Beibei Chen
- PubMed: 42124101
- DOI: 10.3390/ma19091691
Study Design
- Type
- Review
The environmental challenges posed by heavy metal contamination in sludge leachate are becoming increasingly severe, necessitating the development of highly efficient remediation technologies. Among various treatment approaches, magnetic adsorbents have garnered significant attention as a promising solution due to their outstanding adsorption performance, convenient magnetic separation characteristics, and potential for regeneration. This paper systematically reviews the latest research progress on magnetic adsorbents designed for the complex system of sludge leachate, covering synthesis methods, surface functionalization, adsorption mechanisms, and performance evaluation. Key synthesis strategies are analyzed, including magnetic core preparation, inorganic coating, carbon composites, organic polymer grafting, functional molecule impregnation, and metal-organic framework (MOF) composites. The mechanisms by which these strategies influence material adsorption capacity, selectivity, and stability are elucidated. Despite significant achievements in laboratory studies, practical applications still face challenges such as large-scale synthesis, regeneration efficiency, cyclic stability, and adaptability to complex water bodies. Future research should focus on green synthetic pathways to advance the industrial application of structurally functional magnetic composite materials, providing systematic solutions from material design to process optimization for the sustainable remediation of heavy metal contamination in sludge leachate.