Recent advances in activated carbon magnetic composites (ACMCs): synthesis, characterization, performance as efficient adsorbents and other applications.

Activated carbon (AC) is widely recognized material for its high porosity, expansive specific surface area, and an exceptional adsorption capacity. To explore these traits, the impregnation of magnetic particles into AC matrix has emerged as a key innovative strategy to produce composites with enhanced performance as adsorbents or catalysts. The literature survey indicates a surge in publications post-2010, to produce adsorbents of high capacity and selectivity as dominant subject areas. The resulting AC magnetic composites (ACMCs) simplifies the recovery via an external magnetic field and extend ACMCs to other application beyond traditional water treatment. The applications of ACMCs have primarily centered on adsorption, to remove both organic and inorganic pollutants, these composites have shown remarkable performance as catalysts, biocatalyst support, and magnetic solid-phase extraction. In most applications, iron and iron oxides have served as the main magnetic materials. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the diverse synthesis pathways used to fabricate ACMCs, alongside the essential characterization techniques required to evaluate their structural and chemical properties. Furthermore, it summarizes the kinetic and isotherm models applied to ACMCs systems, while exploring how statistical tools and machine learning methods are being deployed to optimize operational parameters. This unpreceded integration of structural, kinetic, and optimization offers a definitive roadmap of ACMCs literature since the year 2000, serving as a vital cornerstone for future research.