Current State and Future Perspectives of Carbon-Based Materials in the Environment: Fate and Application

Background: Environmental pollution has been a recognized problem for human health and the ecosystem. Remediation is usually costly and time-consuming, so researchers' attention has been drowning to develop and use new materials. This review aims to summarize the recent development of carbon-based materials used for environmental management. Methods: We conducted a detailed analysis of available literature based on the Web of Science database. In the third part of the manuscript are given some of the recent patents on carbon-based materials. The corresponding papers were carefully evaluated. Results: More than one hundred and ninety papers were included in section literature. Based on the available literature it an increasing trend in carbon-based material usage can be observed. These materials are used in resolving environmental issues: adsorbents in water and wastewater treatment; precursor of catalysts, soil improvement, waste management, climate change mitigation, electrochemical energy storage and soil remediation adsorption processes. Although it is a mainly new approach considered as environmentally friendly, there are finding, observation, negative aspects, and conclusion that must be taken into consideration. Conclusion: The findings of this review confirm that many factors must be considered when carbon-based materials are used. At the same time, this review aims to emphasize development trends in providing a useful guide to design and fabricate high-efficiency and low-cost carbon materials.