Research Progress on the Removal of Heavy Metal Ions and Organic Pollutants in Water by Graphene Aerogel-Based Adsorption Materials

Abstract

Graphene aerogel, as a three-dimensional material with excellent physicochemical properties, richly porous structure and high specific surface area, has a broad application prospect in the field of water pollutant adsorption. This paper systematically reviews the preparation and modification technology of graphene aerogel, as well as the adsorption mechanism and performance characteristics of heavy metal ions and organic pollutants, and its synergistic removal behavior in the composite pollution system. It can be demonstrated that modification strategies, including element doping, composite functional materials, and surface modification, significantly improve the adsorption capacity and selectivity of materials to heavy metal ions such as Pb and Cd and organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and antibiotics. However, unclear cooperative adsorption mechanism, insufficient cyclic stability and high scale cost are probably existing problems in practical applications. Future research should pay more attention to the micro-methological exploration of the collaborative removal of multiple pollutants, the precise design of material structure and the development of engineering application technology, to promote the practical application of graphene aerogel-based adsorption materials in the field of water treatment.

Keywords

Identifiers

DOI

10.54254/2755-2721/2026.mh31784

Journal

Applied and Computational Engineering

Year

2026