Bone char for water treatment and environmental applications: A review

Abstract

Natural and anthropogenic contamination of water sources has critical consequences for human health and economic development. For this reason, it is a priority to research innovative technologies for preventing contamination and treating drinking water and wastewater. Bone char (BC) appears as one of the promising solutions for the removal of several pollutants for the management of water treatment. BC is a porous, black, and granular material produced by charring animal bones. BC can adsorb contaminants in aqueous solutions due to its excellent properties derived from its composition (calcium hydroxyapatite and calcite). Since the last decade, several works have been conducted on the adsorption capacity of BC to remove various pollutants in aqueous solution. BC is one of the currently known adsorbents with the least negative impact on human and environmental health, especially when compared to aluminum oxide, wood charcoal, etc. With this work, the authors intend to evaluate the sustainability of BC obtained from animal bones used to remove heavy metals and fluorides in aqueous matrices. This review aims to critically describe the synthesis conditions of BC about its different environmental applications focusing on water treatment and remediation. Several aspects were considered, including the raw materials, preparation conditions, and how these affect the physicochemical and functional properties of the materials. In addition, the current research trends on this subject were evaluated, and the challenges and perspectives of this material were pointed out.