Updated review on current approaches and challenges for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances removal using activated carbon-based adsorbents

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and toxic to the environment and human health. Activated carbon (AC) has been extensively investigated for the removal of PFAS and has shown promising candidates for PFAS removal. Up to date, a remarkable advancement has been achieved in PFAS removal using AC, still, the application remains challenging. The main objective of this article is to summarize the recent advancement in PFAS removal from water using activated carbon-based adsorbents. The dominant PFAS removal mechanisms using AC are electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interaction, and ion-exchange. Additionally, this review highlighted the critical factors that influence PFAS removal using AC, including AC's properties, solution pH, ionic strength, and natural organic matter effects. Notably, the presence of natural organic matter significantly impacts PFAS adsorption performance using AC. Moreover, the review also discussed the current trend in regeneration techniques of spent AC for PFAS adsorption and the economic assessment for PFAS removal using AC from scale-up studies to establish cost-effective strategies for scaling up the process. Finally, the challenge and new perspective of AC for PFAS removal were discussed for future research advancement. This review presented the devising practical and environmentally approaches to tackle the challenges encountered by ACs in eliminating PFAS from water.