Journal of Primeasia
Integrative Disciplinary Research | Online ISSN 3064-9870 | Print ISSN 3069-4353
570
Citations
221.2k
Views
147
Articles
Volume 7 Number 1 2026
REVIEWS (Open Access)
From Waste to Water Cure: How Lignocellulosic Biomass-Derived Nanomaterials Are Redefining Sustainable Wastewater Remediation — A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Md. Abdur Rahman 1* Md. Sazzad Hosen Raju 1
Journal of Primeasia 7 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/primeasia.7110801
Submitted: 26 April 2026 Revised: 12 June 2026 Accepted: 22 June 2026 Published: 24 June 2026
Abstract
Water contamination is, quite simply, one of the defining environmental crises of our time — and yet the materials we reach for most often to fix it are costly, energy-intensive, and anything but sustainable. That tension is what makes lignocellulosic biomass (LB) so compelling. Abundantly available as agricultural and forestry waste, LB can be transformed into a surprisingly versatile class of nanomaterials — cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), lignin nanoparticles, biochar, and hybrid composites — each carrying functional surface groups that make them natural scavengers of heavy metals, dyes, pharmaceuticals, and organic micropollutants.This systematic review and meta-analysis draws on 120 peer-reviewed studies, screened and synthesized under PRISMA 2020 guidelines, to ask a deceptively simple question: how well do these materials actually perform, and under what conditions? The short answer is remarkably well — though with important caveats. CNCs emerged as the top performers for heavy metal removal (pooled mean: 120.3 mg g?¹), followed by hybrid nanocomposites, lignin nanoparticles, and biochar. Across material classes, solution pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time proved to be the dominant moderators of performance. Substantial inter-study heterogeneity (I² = 68%) was detected, pointing less to material failure and more to a persistent lack of standardized experimental reporting.Mild publication bias was noted but did not materially alter the conclusions. Taken together, LB-derived nanomaterials represent genuinely credible, scalable candidates for next-generation water treatment — provided the field commits to the methodological rigor these promising results deserve.
Keywords: Lignocellulosic biomass, Nanomaterials, Wastewater treatment, Adsorption capacity, Biochar, Cellulose nanocrystals, Hybrid composites
References
Amalina, F., Razak, A. S. A., Krishnan, S., Sulaiman, H., Zularisam, A. W., & Nasrullah, M. (2022). Advanced techniques in the production of biochar from lignocellulosic biomass and environmental applications. Cleaner Materials, 6, 100137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clema.2022.100137
Arif, M. D., Hoque, M. E., Rahman, M. Z., & Shafoyat, M. U. (2024). Emerging directions in green nanomaterials: Synthesis, physicochemical properties and applications. Materials Today Communications, 40, 109335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2024.109335
Bajpai, P. (2016). Structure of lignocellulosic biomass. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0687-6_2
Bhardwaj, A., Bansal, M., Garima, Wilson, K., Gupta, S., & Dhanawat, M. (2025). Lignocellulose biosorbents: Unlocking the potential for sustainable environmental cleanup. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 294, 139497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139497
Brethauer, S., & Studer, M. H. (2015). Biochemical conversion processes of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals—A review. CHIMIA, 69(10), 572. https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2015.572
Cai, J., He, Y., Yu, X., Banks, S. W., Yang, Y., Zhang, X., & Bridgwater, A. V. (2017). Review of physicochemical properties and analytical characterization of lignocellulosic biomass. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 76, 309–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.03.072
Chandel, H., Kumar, P., Chandel, A. K., & Verma, M. L. (2024). Biotechnological advances in biomass pretreatment for bio-renewable production through nanotechnological intervention. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 14, 2959–2981. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-022-02746-0
Dollhofer, V., Dandikas, V., Dorn-In, S., Bauer, C., Lebuhn, M., & Bauer, J. (2018). Accelerated biogas production from lignocellulosic biomass after pre-treatment with Neocallimastix frontalis. Bioresource Technology, 264, 219–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2018.05.071
Dutta, S., Saravanabhupathy, S., Rajak, R. C., Banerjee, R., Dikshit, P. K., & Kim, B. S. (2023). Recent developments in lignocellulosic biofuel production with nanotechnological intervention: An emphasis on ethanol. Catalysts, 13(11), 1439. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13111439
Guleria, A., Kumari, G., Lima, E. C., Thakur, V., & Singh, K. (2022). Removal of inorganic toxic contaminants from wastewater using sustainable biomass: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 823, 153689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153689
Hossain, F., Hoque, M. E., Khan, A. A., & Arifuzzaman, M. (2025). Lignocellulosic waste-derived nanomaterials: Types and applications in wastewater pollutant removal. Water, 17(16), Article 2426. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17162426
Hassan, S. S., Williams, G. A., & Jaiswal, A. K. (2018). Emerging technologies for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Bioresource Technology, 262, 310–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2018.04.099
Hoque, M. E., & Shafoyat, M. U. (2024). Biopolymers and their composites for biotechnological applications. In Applications of biopolymers in science, biotechnology, and engineering (pp. 189–217). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119842033.ch8
Leng, L., Yuan, X., Huang, H., Wang, H., Wu, Z., Fu, L., & Zeng, G. (2015). Characterization and application of bio-chars from liquefaction of microalgae, lignocellulosic biomass and sewage sludge. Fuel Processing Technology, 129, 8–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2014.08.019
Li, Y., Bhagwat, S. S., Cortés-Peña, Y. R., Ki, D., Rao, C. V., Jin, Y.-S., & Guest, J. S. (2021). Sustainable lactic acid production from lignocellulosic biomass. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 9(3), 1341–1351. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c08055
Mankar, A. R., Pandey, A., Modak, A., & Pant, K. K. (2021). Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass: A review on recent advances. Bioresource Technology, 334, 125235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125235
Marriott, P. E., Gómez, L. D., & McQueen-Mason, S. J. (2016). Unlocking the potential of lignocellulosic biomass through plant science. New Phytologist, 209(4), 1366–1381. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13708
Mohan, D., Sarswat, A., Ok, Y. S., & Pittman, C. U. (2014). Organic and inorganic contaminants removal from water with biochar. Bioresource Technology, 160, 191–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2014.01.120
Motagamwala, A. H., Won, W., Maravelias, C. T., & Dumesic, J. A. (2016). An engineered solvent system for sugar production from lignocellulosic biomass using γ-valerolactone. Green Chemistry, 18(21), 5756–5763. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6GC02297A
Norfarhana, A. S., Khoo, P. S., Ilyas, R. A., Hamid, N. H. A., Norrrahim, M. N. F., & Syafri, E. (2024). Exploring cellulose nanocrystals from lignocellulosic sources as powerful adsorbents. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 32, 4071–4101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-024-03227-3
Okolie, J. A., Nanda, S., Dalai, A. K., & Kozinski, J. A. (2021). Chemistry and specialty industrial applications of lignocellulosic biomass. Waste and Biomass Valorization, 12, 2145–2169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-020-01123-0
Rangabhashiyam, S., & Balasubramanian, P. (2019). Lignocellulosic biomass precursors for biochar production. Industrial Crops and Products, 128, 405–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.11.041
Rashid, A. B., Hoque, M. E., Kabir, N., Rifat, F. F., Ishrak, H., Alqahtani, A., & Chowdhury, M. E. (2023). Cellulose nanocrystals: Synthesis, properties, applications, and future prospects. Polymers, 15(19), 4070. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15194070
Renju, & Singh, R. (2024). Re-routing lignocellulosic biomass for bioenergy generation. Industrial Crops and Products, 222, 119664. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.119664
Saud, A., Gupta, S., Allal, A., Preud’homme, H., Shomar, B., & Zaidi, S. J. (2024). Sustainable development of biobased nanomaterials for water treatment. ACS Omega, 9(27), 29088–29113. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c08883
Shoudho, K. N., Khan, T. H., Ara, U. R., Khan, M. R., Shawon, Z. B. Z., & Hoque, M. E. (2024). Biochar in the global carbon cycle. Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 8, 100409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crgsc.2024.100409
Singhvi, M., & Kim, B. S. (2020). Lignocellulosic biomass conversion into biofuels using nanobiotechnology. Energies, 13(20), 5300. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13205300
Vieira, S., Barros, M. V., Sydney, A. C. N., Piekarski, C. M., Vandenberghe, L. P. D. S., & Sydney, E. B. (2020). Sustainability of sugarcane lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment. Bioresource Technology, 299, 122635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122635
Wang, H., Zhu, S., Elshobary, M., Qi, W., Wang, W., Feng, P., & Qin, L. (2024). Detoxification of inhibitors in lignocellulosic pretreatment wastewater. Bioresource Technology, 410, 131270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131270
Wang, J., Xi, J., & Wang, Y. (2015). Catalytic production of glucose from lignocellulosic biomass. Green Chemistry, 17(2), 737–751. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4GC02034K
Yadav, V. K., Gupta, N., Kumar, P., Dashti, M. G., Tirth, V., Khan, S. H., & Algahtani, A. (2022). Lignin nanoparticles and their applications. Materials, 15(3), 953. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15030953
Yousuf, A., Pirozzi, D., & Sannino, F. (2020). Fundamentals of lignocellulosic biomass. Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815936-1.00001-0