Contamination triggered by toxic
metal ions and dyes is a foremost
menace to the environment and its inhabitants. Industries including
metal plating, paints, and battery engineering are responsible for
the delivery of metal ions and toxic dyes in the environment. In remediation
to this, it is important to eradicate these toxic elements from the
environment. Molecular-imprinted polymers (MIPs) can be used for discerning
adsorption of these toxic elements. This technology is based on the
principle of “lock and key” initially used as enzymes
for substrate recognition. A class of polymerization techniques can
be used in developing a MIP initiated by the self-assembled functional
monomers around the molecules of templates due to “functional
group–template” and “functional group–monomer”
interactions. The advantage of this technology is that the adsorption
removes metal and dye effluents from the sample, and the desorption
makes the binding sites reusable for the next cycle. The goal of this
Review is to cover the principles, techniques, and applications of
various MIPs in the elimination of heavy metal ions and some common
toxic dyes with notable comparative and quantitative viewpoints. It
also comprises the accounts of noteworthy scientific research in MIP
technology, with their significant adsorption capacities and reusability,
that can be resourcefully used for toxicity removal progressions on
the industrial level for making a healthy and hearty environment.
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