Exploring seaweed as a sustainable solution for carbon dioxide adsorption: Trends, opportunities, and future research prospects

Numerous industrial activities burn fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) and worsening climate change. To mitigate this, industries are integrating adsorption technology, using activated carbon as an adsorbent to reduce CO2 emissions. Recently, seaweed has emerged as a promising precursor for activated carbon, similar to coconut shells. However, a gap exists in the literature, as no comprehensive study has systematically reviewed seaweed-derived activated carbon for CO2 adsorption applications. Hence, this study addresses this gap by integrating a systematic review and bibliometric analysis, offering a novel methodological approach for a holistic understanding of the topic. The study formulates research questions, develops a systematic search strategy, and employs bibliometric analysis, science mapping, and qualitative content analysis of data from the Scopus database to interpret, analyze, and discuss the findings. It highlights a rising publication trend from 2013 to 2023, with China as the leading contributor, and underscores that research on this topic is mainly published in high-quality journals. Science mapping reveals key research themes and identifies existing gaps, while qualitative analysis provides directions for future studies. The study also emphasizes the significant potential of seaweed-derived activated carbon in applications such as wastewater treatment, air filtration, energy storage, and green fuel production, while its exploration in CO2 adsorption remains limited. Therefore, the potential for further research is outlined in the future research recommendations. Ultimately, this study offers valuable insights for various stakeholders and supports Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13.