Maria Islam, Zia Ul Haq Khan, Amna Islam, Syed Khasim, Farooq Ahmad, Naveed Ahmad, Ibrahim A. Alsayer
transformation of adsorbed pharmaceuticals into less toxic products, overcoming drawbacks associated with adsorption-only systems, such as Fenton, photo-Fenton, or peroxymonosulphate activation. Key structure-property relationships, performance descriptors, and recyclability considerations are discussed in establishing a unified smart adsorbent design framework. Finally, critical knowledge gaps and future opportunities are identified, including scalable synthesis, selectivity tuning, regeneration, and integration into continuous treatment systems. This review offers guidelines for the rational development of next-generation smart adsorbents for efficient and sustainable removal of pharmaceutical pollutants.