Journal of Primeasia
Integrative Disciplinary Research | Online ISSN 3064-9870 | Print ISSN 3069-4353
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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 Irfan Habib 1*, Md. Abdur Rahman 2* Md. Sazzad Hosen Raju 2
Journal of Primeasia 7 (1) 1-16 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 different 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
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