ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

A review of adsorption performance of polyhydroxyalkaonate-based materials in small-scale aqueous-phase solute removal

Bibi Nausheen Jaffur and Ackmez Mudhoo

Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Mauritius

E-mail: a.mudhoo@uom.ac.mu

Received: 3 April 2025  Accepted: 28 June 2025

Abstract:

Polyhydroxyalkanoates have been investigated as biodegradable adsorbents in water treatment; yet, their widespread application remains restricted. Particularly when combined with nanocomposites, their adjustable porosity and tunable chemical structure offer the possibility to enhance adsorption, thereby improving the efficiency and selectivity of aqueous-phase solute removal. Nevertheless, industrial adoption and use of polyhydroxyalkanoates as aqueous-phase adsorbents are impeded by obstacles such as scalability, high production costs, and stability in harsh real conditions. This concise review examines current laboratory-scale research developments in polyhydroxyalkanoate-based materials used as adsorbents for aqueous-phase solutes, including aspects related to microbial engineering for cost efficiency, sophisticated surface modifications for enhanced adsorption, and pilot-scale analyses to determine feasibility. At the pilot scale, implementating the use of polyhydroxyalkanoate-based materials as aqueous-phase adsorbents is hindered by long hydraulic residence times, structural instability due to operational conditions, and cost-intensive production and extraction methods. Additionally, adsorption kinetics exhibited by polyhydroxyalkanoate-based materials used as adsorbents vary across aqueous-phase systems, and their adsorption performance declines under mixed-solute conditions as a result of competitive binding. Consequently, in a stronger spirit of developing sustainable water remediation technologies, more interdisciplinary research addressing these multiple challenges could be expected to enhance the viability of polyhydroxyalkanoate-based materials as effective adsorbents in water treatment. It is also crucial to reassess the plausible premature biodegradation of these materials whenever they are to be contacted with microbe-laden real wastewaters. It might then be important to design an effective in-built protection/deprotection mechanism to ward off such degradation prior to the polyhydroxyalkanoate-based materials fulfilling their intended adsorption purpose in a contaminated aqueous milieu.

Graphical abstract

Keywords: Polyhydroxyalkanoate-based materials; Biodegradable materials; Nanocomposite functionalization; Aqueous-phase adsorption; Water purification

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04225-y

Chemical Papers 79 (10) 6387–6403 (2025)