The contamination of water with heavy metals is a global issue. Its water solubility and non-degradability nature convert it into a potential threat to human health as well as flora and fauna. Several methods have been applied for heavy metal removal from water using a different mechanism, which differs in specification and removal efficacy. Activated carbon has recently attracted the attention of wastewater treatment industries because of its significantly high adsorption capacity against heavy metals. The large surface area, suitable surface functional groups, and appropriate pore diameter make activated carbon a potential adsorbent. Significant advances have been recently reported to modify the activated carbon using physical, chemical, organic, and inorganic loading techniques to improve the adsorption performance of activated carbon. This review presents the recent advances in activated carbon preparation and modification for heavy metal removal from water. Different fabrication techniques and the mechanisms of heavy metal adsorption are also discussed in detail.

重金属污染水是一个全球性问题。其水溶性和不可降解性使其成为对人类健康以及动植物群的潜在威胁。几种方法已应用于使用不同机制从水中去除重金属，其规格和去除效率各不相同。活性炭由于对重金属具有显着的高吸附能力，最近引起了废水处理行业的关注。大的表面积、合适的表面官能团和合适的孔径使活性炭成为一种潜在的吸附剂。最近报道了使用物理、化学、有机和无机负载技术对活性炭进行改性以提高活性炭的吸附性能的重大进展。本综述介绍了活性炭制备和改性以去除水中重金属的最新进展。还详细讨论了不同的制造技术和重金属吸附机制。