Sorption Technologies: From Natural Sorbents to Nano Innovations

Sorption has long been a cornerstone of environmental chemistry, enabling the capture, immobilization, and removal of contaminants from water, soil, and air. Early practices relied on naturally available materials such as clays, peat, biomass, and mineral sorbents, while later developments introduced activated carbons, engineered polymers, nanostructured materials, and, more recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). This progression reflects a broader shift from empirical pollutant removal approaches toward highly tailored materials designed for selectivity, capacity, regeneration, and sustainability. Yet, despite major advances, important questions remain regarding scalability, cost, environmental safety, and real-world performance under complex conditions.

This Research Topic aims to examine the historical development of sorption technologies and to connect foundational knowledge with current and emerging innovations. By bringing together historical analyses, material-focused studies, and application-driven research, the topic seeks to clarify how key conceptual and technological breakthroughs have shaped modern sorption science and how unresolved challenges may guide future progress.

We welcome manuscripts addressing but not limited to:

o Evolution of sorption technologies
o Natural sorbents, including clays, biomass, peat, and mineral-based materials
o Development of conventional engineered sorbents, such as activated carbons and polymeric materials
o Advances in functionalized, hybrid, and nano-enabled sorbents
o Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and other advanced porous sorbent materials
o Sorption mechanisms, including adsorption, ion exchange, and surface complexation
o Comparative assessments of classical and modern sorption strategies
o Sorbent selectivity, capacity, kinetics, and regeneration performance
o Sustainability, scalability, and life-cycle considerations of sorption materials
o Environmental applications in water, soil, and air remediation
o Emerging trends, unresolved debates, and future directions in sorption science

We are interested in Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Perspective, and Methods articles that offer critical insight into the past, present, and future of sorption technologies in environmental chemistry.