arrow
Return

Gelatin-based adsorbents for efficient adsorptive removal of toxic pollutants in wastewater: A step towards environmental sustainability

delete2026-03-01
delete0
PRE
AI
M
Mahmoud H. Abu Elella *
R
Riham R. Mohamed
M
Mayank Pandey
E
Eduardo Alberto López‐Maldonado
N
Nedal Y. Abu‐Thabit
N
Nema Amar
M
Moshera Samy
S
Saad, Laila
M
Makhado, Edwin
K
Kalim Deshmukh
F
Fengwei Xie
M
Mahmood Othman Ahmed *
DOI:10.1002/pi.70115delete
deleteOriginal
deleteOriginal request for help
deleteShare
deleteSave
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Water contamination and the growing scarcity of clean drinking water, driven by rapid industrialization and urbanization, have intensified research into advanced wastewater treatment technologies. Among available methods, adsorption remains a widely studied approach due to its simplicity, cost-effectiveness and broad applicability. Gelatin, a biodegradable, low-toxicity and renewable natural polymer rich in functional groups, has recently emerged as a promising platform for adsorbent development. This review provides a critical and systematic overview of recent advances in gelatin-based adsorbent formulations (hydrogels, aerogels, beads, nanofibres and nanocomposites), focusing on their fabrication strategies, structure-performance relationships, adsorption mechanisms and regeneration behaviour. The adsorption efficiency of gelatin-based materials is strongly influenced by their morphological, textural and chemical properties, which can be tailored through controlled synthesis and modification techniques. Various preparation routes have been reported to enhance surface chemistry, functional groups and hierarchical morphologies. In addition, the incorporation of 0-2D nanofillers into gelatin matrices has been widely explored to improve adsorption capacity and selectivity. These materials have been extensively investigated for removing heavy metals, dyes, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and radioactive contaminants. Reported studies demonstrate that gelatin-based adsorbents exhibit good desorption and regeneration performance, supporting their economic and environmental sustainability. Overall, this review highlights the versatility and future potential of gelatin-based adsorbents while identifying key challenges and research gaps for their practical application in wastewater treatment.
Keywords:
adsorption
gelatin
hybrid materials
hydrogels
nanocomposites
water

Journal

Polymer International cover
Polymer International
IF:
3.6
Papers:
296
Citations:
8.0K

Organization

B
Beni Suef University
Scholars:
3.4K
Papers: 2.7K
Citations: 54
N
national research centre (nrc)
Scholars:
6.0K
Papers: 5.5K
Citations: 3
J
Jubail Industrial College
Scholars:
273
Papers: 292
Citations: 298
E
egyptian knowledge bank (ekb)
Scholars:
11.3W
Papers: 9.1W
Citations: 84
U
university of limpopo
Scholars:
367
Papers: 167
Citations: 0
U
university of nottingham ningbo china
Scholars:
234
Papers: 142
Citations: 0
C
Cairo University
Scholars:
1.3W
Papers: 1.0W
Citations: 1.7W
M
ministry of military production - egypt
Scholars:
32
Papers: 23
Citations: 0
U
university of west bohemia pilsen
Scholars:
1.6K
Papers: 1.3K
Citations: 8
researcher View more organizations