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- Conflict of Interest
- In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
- Publication history
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Received January 25, 2024
Accepted March 30, 2024
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This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Catalysing Sustainability with Keratin-Derived Adsorbent Materials for Enhanced Heavy Metal Remediation
Abstract
Heavy metal contamination has been a signifi cant issue globally often interconnected with broader environmental and social
factors. Biosorption, emerged as a potential solution to sequester heavy metal ions using range of ceramics and polymers
lean towards natural polymers for sustainability. Among these natural polymers, keratin-based adsorbents have attained
attention due to its structural features. Though numerous review articles have reported the use of keratin for adsorption of
toxic pollutants and methods to develop materials with desirable physical, chemical, thermal and mechanical properties, the
present review particularly discuss the structural–functional relation to explore the modifi cation and tenability to improve
its adsorption effi ciency for heavy metals. Their interactions with functional groups present on keratin molecule and further,
diff erent extrinsic aspects such as extraction methods’ impact on removal effi ciency of keratin and underlying mechanisms
elucidated through various adsorption model employed by researchers is also discussed. This review also reports studies
on improving the inherent heavy metal adsorption capacity of keratin by compositing with other polymers. Additionally,
the functionalization of keratin molecule has been explored for not only improving the adsorption capacity but also the
morphological characteristics of the materials developed. Overall, the article highlights the advancements in keratin-based
materials as eff ective adsorbents for heavy metal removal from wastewater and the need for further research to optimize
their properties and performance.