Research progress on the preparation of biomass activated carbon and its application in catalytic degradation of wastewater pollutants

In response to the increasingly severe problem of water environment pollution, there is an urgent need to develop green and sustainable wastewater treatment technologies. Among various options, biomass activated carbon (BAC), derived from renewable biomass precursors, shows great potential for pollutants removal. Recently, the application of BAC has evolved beyond mere adsorption toward catalytic degradation of pollutants. This is achieved by tailoring its properties through methods such as direct catalyst loading, heteroatom doping, and chemical modification, which significantly enhances its value in the treatment of organic water pollutants. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in the field, detailing the sources of biomass, BAC preparation methods, modification strategies, and their application in the catalytic degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater. Furthermore, the current challenges and future research directions are discussed, aiming to provide a theoretical basis and innovative insights for the development of novel BAC materials and their practical implementation in catalytic degradation systems.