A review on waste carbon soot as a functional material for water remediation

Carbon soot, traditionally considered a pollutant due to its harmful effects on human health and the environment, is now recognized as a valuable functional material. Carbon soot’s unique physical and chemical properties make it attractive for various applications, including energy storage, catalysis, electronics, water detoxification, and more. This review article covers the application of soot-derived carbon nanoparticles for water remediation. The article starts with discussing the soot formation mechanism, followed by a characterization of soot particles. Further, the application of carbon soot for oil–water separation and removal of contaminants from water are reviewed. The effect of various process parameters like pH, time of contact, and concentration are discussed. Further, the article discusses carbon soot particle’s limitations and future scope for water remediation. In conclusion, this review highlights the potential of carbon soot as a sustainable and cost-effective solution for water detoxification and presents an outlook for future research in this field. It also discusses the challenges and shortcomings of the work done till now in this area.