Advances in graphene-based materials for the treatment of water

Water treatment and recycling are the most important issues in the present scenario due to the paucity of safe water supply. Therefore, many methods are being used or developed for water treatment, recycling and reuse. All the water treatment methods are based on certain materials and among many materials, graphene-based materials are gaining importance in water treatment, recycling, and reuse due to the unique features of graphene. Therefore, the present article discusses the unique features of graphene materials and their applications in water treatment, recycling, and reuse. The most important methods used are adsorption and membrane processes. The graphene-based materials are found to be effective to remove different pollutants up to 99.0%. Besides, these materials are found to be suitable to work in natural water conditions (pH 7–8) and at temp. 25–30 °C. The separation of graphene materials from the water after use and recycling have also been described. Besides, efforts are also made to discuss the future perspectives of graphene materials in water treatment. This article will be useful for academicians, researchers, and government authorities for planning and developing new strategies for metal ions removal in water.