Adsorption Techniques for Hexavalent Chromium Removal
Summary
Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a pervasive contaminant in industrial effluents, presenting serious risks to human health and aquatic ecosystems. Among various remediation strategies, adsorption has gained prominence for its operational simplicity, adaptability and cost-effectiveness. Adsorption relies on the affinity between Cr(VI) species in aqueous solution and active sites on a solid adsorbent. The performance of an adsorption process is governed by factors such as surface chemistry, porosity, specific surface area and solution pH. Conventional adsorbents include activated carbons, zeolites and clays, while recent advances focus on nanostructured materials, bio-derived sorbents and functionalised composites. Tailoring pore size distribution and surface functional groups can enhance capacity and selectivity for anionic chromate and dichromate species. Kinetic studies often invoke pseudo-second-order models to describe rate-controlling chemisorption processes, while equilibrium data are fitted to Langmuir or Freundlich isotherms to elucidate monolayer adsorption and heterogeneous surface interactions. Practical deployment demands efficient regeneration and recyclability of the adsorbent, minimisation of secondary waste and compatibility with continuous-flow systems. Collectively, adsorption techniques offer a scalable and energy-efficient route to reduce Cr(VI) concentrations to regulatory limits, thereby supporting sustainable water treatment and resource recovery initiatives worldwide.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Adsorption Techniques for Hexavalent Chromium Removal publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in adsorption techniques for hexavalent chromium removal across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Adsorption: accumulation of ions or molecules from a fluid phase onto the surface of a solid material.
Adsorbent: a solid substrate engineered to capture contaminants from liquid or gas streams by surface interactions.
Specific surface area: the total surface area of a material per unit mass, typically expressed in m² g⁻¹, which influences its adsorption capacity.
Adsorption isotherm: a plot describing the equilibrium relationship between the concentration of adsorbate in solution and the amount adsorbed at constant temperature.
Pseudo-second-order kinetics: a kinetic model that assumes the adsorption rate is proportional to the square of the number of unoccupied sites, often indicative of chemisorption.
References
- Adsorption and Kinetics Modelling for Chromium (Cr6+) Uptake from Contaminated Water by Quaternized Date Palm Waste. Water (2024).
- Electric Field‐Assisted Uptake of Hexavalent Chromium Ions with In Situ Regeneration of Carbon Monolith Adsorbents. Advanced Science (2023).
- Iron-Loaded Carbon Aerogels Derived from Bamboo Cellulose Fibers as Efficient Adsorbents for Cr(VI) Removal. Polymers (2021).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.