Research Progress on the Removal of Heavy Metals in Water and Soil by Modified Carbon Nanotubes: a Review

As an emerging environmental application material, carbon nanotubes (CNT) have excellent functional properties such as high specific surface area, high porosity, and strong interaction with inorganic and organic molecules. At present, CNT-based adsorbents have been widely used to adsorb heavy metals from water and soil environments. Therefore, modification on the basis of its functional properties can make it a carbon-based nano-composite material with more functions and more controllable and environmentally friendly. This review briefly summarizes the basic properties of carbon nanotubes. From the perspective of synthesis methods, characterization and adsorption mechanism, the adsorption properties of carbon nanotubes with different modification methods and their research progress in the removal of heavy metals in water and soil in recent years are discussed.