Closing the Loop: A Circular Approach to Sustainable Heavy Metal Remediation and Metal Recovery from Soil Leachates Using Tailor-Made Advanced Adsorbents

This study investigates the remediation of natural soil samples from diverse locations, which exhibit varying degrees of copper contamination. To further elucidate the mechanisms of contaminant retention and desorption, similar extraction studies were conducted on representative soils. Finally, the resulting metal-rich leachates were treated using advanced organomodified adsorbents. This step aimed to reduce the volume of contaminated solutions and assess the potential for partial Cu recovery, thereby supporting a circular remediation concept.