Boron nitride nanomaterials for inorganic pollutant removal: Fabrication, adsorption performance, and mechanisms

Rapid industrialization and increasing energy demands have accelerated the release of inorganic pollutants, posing severe threats to ecosystems and human health. Although various water-treatment technologies have been explored, many suffer from high costs, sludge generation, and limited effectiveness in complex water matrices. Among these, adsorption has emerged as a promising approach because of its simplicity, rapid kinetics, high selectivity, and reusability. This review presents a comprehensive evaluation of hexagonal boron nitride (BN) as an advanced adsorbent for the removal of inorganic contaminants. First, diverse fabrication methods and functionalization strategies are summarized to highlight how structural and chemical modifications enhance the adsorption performance. The adsorption capacities of the BN-based materials for general heavy metals, radioactive elements, and redox-sensitive species were compared and analyzed. Mechanistic insights are discussed in terms of surface complexation, electrostatic attraction, ion exchange, and redox reactions, with an assessment of regeneration and long-term reusability. Ultimately, future perspectives highlight the importance of integrating computational modeling and machine learning for predictive design, enhancing selectivity in multicomponent systems, validating the large-scale applicability, and ensuring techno-economic perspectives. Overall, this review summarizes the current progress in BN-based adsorbents and provides guidance for their development as sustainable solutions for the remediation of inorganic pollutants.