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.