The adsorption process of carbonized
xerogels in the form of porous
microspheres or monoliths was found to be reversible. This indicated
that the xerogels could be reusable, making the process of effluent
treatment in eradicating metal ions and reactive dyes cost-effective
and propitious. With the outburst of several kinds of water-borne
epidemics, concern for effluent treatment has become a more significant
factor in the design of new advanced treatment technologies. Consequently,
some higher levels of effluent treatments assisted with more advanced
materials were able to remove all pollutants from sewage; in contrast,
their exorbitant mechanisms created hurdles in a long term perspective.
Carbon and its diverse types, such as nanotubes, activated forms,
and graphene oxide-incorporated carbon gels, were all studied, and
their adsorption of different metal ions, the catalytic reduction,
and adsorption of reactive dyes were mentioned concisely. Carbon xerogels
possess very low densities (0.04–1.3) g/cm3, micromesoporous
size (<50 nm), and large surface areas (600–800) m2/g, and due to their most straightforward route of preparation and
high microporous fractions, about 80% during carbonization, they are
more preferred over other gels. This review paper discusses the synthesis
of xerogels, carbonization processes, various carbon incorporated
xerogels, appropriate adsorption isotherms, and the kinetic models
they follow, and their efficacies in effluent treatment.