Production of mangosteen fruit waste-derived adsorbents for the removal of organic dyes, antibiotics, and heavy metals from water.

Global mangosteen production reaches many millions of tons annually, resulting in the potential discharge of peel waste into the environment. Therefore, mangosteen peel waste management is required, and the valorization of this abundant and zero-cost waste into adsorbents represents a sustainable and effective strategy. Here, we review the botanical characteristics and chemical composition of mangosteen species for potential industrial applications, such as pharmaceuticals, food and functional food products, animal feed, and cosmetics. Moreover, mangosteen fruit waste is rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which can be an ideal bio-source for the synthesis of adsorbents. Remarkably, activation with ZnCl2, KOH, K2CO3, and H3PO4 significantly increases the surface area of mangosteen peel-based adsorbents (up to 3244 m2 g-1) and the pore volume (up to 1.56 cm3 g-1). These adsorbents can adsorb many kinds of pollutants such as organic dyes (10-1362 mg g-1 for methylene blue), antibiotics (30 mg g-1 for ciprofloxacin), and heavy metals (0.34-341 mg g-1). With such high adsorption capacity and reusability, mangosteen fruit waste can be a potential agricultural waste material for the synthesis of adsorbents for water treatment.