Antimicrobial and detoxification potentials of plant-based activated carbon: current advances and applications

Plant-based activated carbon (AC) has emerged as a highly versatile and sustainable material with significant antimicrobial and detoxification potentials. Its wide range of precursors (including agricultural residues, woody biomass, fruit peels, and medicinal plants) offers abundant, low-cost, and eco-friendly sources for high-performance AC production. Recent advances in carbonization and activation techniques, such as pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonization, and chemical activation, have enabled the development of AC with enhanced surface area, functional groups, and tailored pore structures essential for biological and environmental applications. Evidence from current literature demonstrates that plant-derived AC exhibits strong antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses through mechanisms involving physical adsorption, membrane disruption, nutrient deprivation, and reactive surface chemistry. In parallel, its detoxification capability is attributed to efficient adsorption of heavy metals, pesticides, dyes, pharmaceutical residues, and other toxicants, making it highly useful in water treatment, environmental remediation, and medical detoxification. Comparative studies further indicate that plant-based AC often performs comparably or superiorly to conventional AC due to its unique surface chemistry and diversity of biomass precursors. Applications span across water purification, wound dressing, air filtration, food packaging, and gastrointestinal toxin removal, highlighting the broad utility of plant-based AC. Despite its promise, challenges remain in standardizing synthesis protocols, scaling production, and validating long-term safety and efficacy, especially in clinical and environmental settings. Overall, this review synthesizes recent advances and practical applications of plant-based activated carbon, emphasizing its growing importance as a sustainable, multifunctional material in antimicrobial control and poison remediation.