Valorization of Brazil nut (Bertholetia excelsa) by-products as new adsorvent materials for contaminant removal: A review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v15i5.51021Keywords:
Lignocellulosic biomass, Porous structure, Wastewater treatment, Dye removal, Adsorption mechanisms.Abstract
The Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa H.B.K.) production chain generates significant volumes of lignocellulosic waste, including shells, husks, and skins, the utilization of which remains technically underdeveloped. This review critically analyzed the scientific literature published between 2018 and 2025 on the thermochemical conversion of these three fractions into biochar and activated carbon, evaluating their performance as bioadsorbents in the removal of organic dyes, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides in aqueous systems. The systematic search was conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases, using search terms combined with the Boolean operators AND and OR, and experimental articles in Portuguese, Spanish, and English were selected. The results show that the peel is the most widely studied fraction, with removal efficiencies often exceeding 90% for cationic dyes such as methylene blue and crystal violet, as well as for drugs such as amoxicillin and paracetamol and the herbicide 2,4-D. The husk, although less explored, demonstrated adsorption performance equivalent to that of commercial adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue, with rates of up to 99%. The film, despite being continuously generated during processing, remains without systematic investigation regarding its use as an adsorbent material, representing a significant scientific gap. It is concluded that Brazil nut byproducts constitute a broad-spectrum raw material for low-cost, high-performance bioadsorbents, with potential for integration into water treatment systems aligned with the principles of the Amazonian circular bioeconomy.
References
Affat, S. S. (2021). Classifications, advantages, disadvantages, toxicity effects of natural and synthetic dyes: a review. University of Thi-Qar Journal of Science, 8(1), 130–135.
Aguilar-Zuniga, K., Laurie, V. F., Moore-Carrasco, R., Ortiz-Villeda, B., & Carrasco-Sánchez, V. (2021). Agro-industrial waste products as mycotoxin biosorbents: a review of in vitro and in vivo studies. Food Reviews International, 39(17), 2914–2930. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2021.2001653
Ali, K., Javaid, M. U., Ali, Z., & Zaghum, M. J. (2021). Biomass-derived adsorbents for dye and heavy metal removal from wastewater. Adsorption Science & Technology, 2021, 9357509. https://doi.org/10.1177/02637241211054447
Almeida, F. A., de Vilhena, A. E. G., da Cruz Sehwartz, R. L., Cruz, D. C. P., Nascimento, A. L. M. D., de Carvalho, M. E. F., & Martelli, M. C. (2021). Aproveitamento de resíduo industrial da castanha do Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa HBK) em processo de adsorção de corante têxtil. In Engenharia de Produtos Naturais: Planejamento, Experimentação, Obtenção de Produtos e Purificação (pp. 310–325). Editora Científica Digital.
Alves, A. T., Miranda, I. P. de A., Lasmar, D. J., Reis, J. dos S., Machado, F. de S., Rabelo, D. D. M., & Chaar, J. da S. (2022). Produção de carvão ativado através de resíduos da Castanheira-do-Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.) voltados na solução para o tratamento de águas. Res. Soc. Dev., 11(12), e394111234482. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i12.34482
Alves, A. T., Lasmar, D. J., & Costa, A. (2024). Viabilidade econômica do carvão ativado obtido do ouriço da castanha-do-Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa). Future Studies Research Journal: Trends and Strategies, 16(1), e765. https://doi.org/10.24023/FutureJournal/2175-5825/2024.v16i1.765
Alves, C. M. S., & Sousa, W. R. (2020). Occurrence of aflatoxins in Brazil nuts commercialized in the northeast of Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Health Review, 3(4), 8129–8145. https://doi.org/10.34119/bjhrv3n4-073
Andrade Siqueira, T. C., Zanette da Silva, I., Rubio, A. J., Bergamasco, R., Gasparotto, F., Aparecida de Souza Paccola, E., & Ueda Yamaguchi, N. (2020). Sugarcane bagasse as an efficient biosorbent for methylene blue removal: kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(2), 526. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020526
Appell, M., Wegener, E. C., Sharma, B. K., Eller, F. J., Evans, K. O., & Compton, D. L. (2023). In vitro evaluation of the adsorption efficacy of biochar materials on aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone. Animals, 13(21), 3311. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13213311
Barros, H. L., Kluczkovski, A. M., Junior, A. K., & Pinto, S. D. C. B. (2024). Avaliação de risco da ocorrência de aflatoxina M1 em leite materno de grupo populacional da região amazônica brasileira. Brazilian Journal of Health Review, 7(5), e73834. https://doi.org/10.34119/bjhrv7n5-391
Castro, P. M. D., Ferrarini, S. R., Rimoli, M. D. S. F., Merlo, A. A., Nogueira, R. M., & Pires, E. M. (2025). Adsorption of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) herbicide on activated carbon of Brazil nut shell. Revista Árvore, 49, e4902. https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-908820250049000e4902
Diel, J. C., Netto, M. S., dos Santos Nunes, I., Silva, L. F. O., Crissien, T. J., Dos Reis, G. S., & Dotto, G. L. (2025). Remoção dos corantes violeta cristal e azul de metileno de efluentes aquosos utilizando resíduos de castanha-do-pará (Bertholletia excelsa) como um potente biossorvente da Amazônia. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 32(50), 28745–28765. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-025-36292-9
Dong, M., He, L., Jiang, M., Zhu, Y., Wang, J., Gustave, W., & Wang, Z. (2023). Biochar for the removal of emerging pollutants from aquatic systems: a review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 1679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031679
Duarte, R. V. L., Rodrigues, L. A., Moraes, N. P., & Couceiro, P. R. C. (2022). Brazil nut mesocarp (Bertholletia excelsa) as a biomass source for activated carbon production: correlation between thermal treatment and adsorption performance. Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry, 12(4), 4584–4596. https://doi.org/10.33263/BRIAC124.45844596
Esperança, V. J. R., Moreira, P. I. O., Chávez, D. W. H., & Freitas-Silva, O. (2024). Evaluation of the safety and quality of Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) using the tools of DNA sequencing technology and aflatoxin profile. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, 1357778. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1357778
Georgin, J., Marques, B. S., Peres, E. C., Allasia, D., & Dotto, G. L. (2018). Biossorção de corantes catiônicos pela casca da castanha-do-pará (Bertholletia excelsa). Water Science and Technology, 77(6), 1612–1621. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2018.038
Gomes, I. S., & De Oliveira Caminha, I. (2014). Guia para estudos de revisão sistemática: uma opção metodológica para as Ciências do Movimento Humano. Movimento, 20(1), 395–411. https://doi.org/10.22456/1982-8918.41542
Hassan, M. M., & Carr, C. M. (2018). A critical review on recent advancements of the removal of reactive dyes from dyehouse effluent by ion-exchange adsorbents. Chemosphere, 209, 201–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.06.043
Hassan, N. S., Jalil, A. A., Khusnun, N. F., Bahari, M. B., & Kamaruddin, M. J. (2024). Recent advances in lignocellulosic biomass-derived biochar-based photocatalyst for wastewater remediation. Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, 163, 105670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtice.2024.105670
Ibrahim, H. A. (2023). Pyrolysis in the chemical industry and its major industrial applications. Innovation in Science and Technology, 2(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.55494/ist.2023.22.1
Isenmann, A. F. (2013). Corantes (1a ed.). Editora própria.
Katiyar, R., Chen, C. W., Singhania, R. R., Tsai, M. L., Saratale, G. D., Pandey, A., & Patel, A. K. (2022). Efficient remediation of antibiotic pollutants from the environment through innovative biochar: current updates and prospects. Bioengineered, 13(6), 14730–14748. https://doi.org/10.1080/21655979.2022.2085987
Kluczkovski, A. M. (2006). Castanha-do-Brasil da floresta tropical ao consumidor (Vol. 1, 176 p.). Rditograf.
Lima Duarte, R. V., Rodrigues, L. A., de Moraes, N. P., & da Costa Couceiro, P. R. (2021). Mesocarpo da castanha-do-Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa) como fonte de biomassa para produção de carvão ativado: correlação entre tratamento térmico e desempenho de adsorção. Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry, 12(4), 4584–4596. https://doi.org/10.33263/BRIAC124.45844596
Lima, D. R., Lima, E. C., Umpierres, C. S., Thue, P. S., El-Chaghaby, G. A., Da Silva, R. S., & Biron, C. (2019). Removal of amoxicillin from simulated hospital effluents by adsorption using activated carbons prepared from capsules of cashew of Pará. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(16), 16396–16408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04949-1
Lin, H., Liu, Y., Chang, Z., Yan, S., Liu, S., & Han, S. (2020). A new method of synthesizing hemicellulose-derived porous activated carbon for high-performance supercapacitors. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 292, 109707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2019.109707
Melo, I. S., Souza, T. N. V., Carvalho, S. M. L., & Vieira, M. G. A. (2018). Adsorção de corante azul básico 26 por material carbonáceo sintetizado de resíduo agroindustrial. In Anais do COBEQ 2018. Editora Blucher. https://doi.org/10.5151/cobeq2018-pt.0103
Miljanić, J., Krstović, S., Perović, L., Kojić, J., Travičić, V., & Bajac, B. (2024). Assessment of the nutritional benefits and aflatoxin B1 adsorption properties of blackberry seed cold-pressed oil by-product. Foods, 13(19), 3140. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193140
Nobre, J. R. C., Queiroz, L. S., Castro, J. P., Pego, M. F. F., Hugen, L. N., Da Costa, C. E. F., & Bianchi, M. L. (2023). Potencial de resíduos agroindustriais da região amazônica para produção de carvão ativado. Heliyon, 9(7), e17152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17152
Patel, V. H., Gani, A., & Paul, A. (2025). Método verde de síntese em etapa única de carvão ativado a partir de resíduos de biomassa lignocelulósica de Jacaranda mimosifolia para purificação sustentável de água. Nature Environment & Pollution Technology, 24(3). https://doi.org/10.46488/NEPT.2025.v24i03.009
Petrechen, G. P., Arduin, M., & Ambrósio, J. D. (2019). Morphological characterization of Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) fruit pericarp. Journal of Renewable Materials, 7(7), 678–687. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2019.07047
Piquet, A. B. M., & Martelli, M. C. (2022). Bioadsorventes produzidos a partir de resíduos orgânicos para remoção de corantes: uma revisão. Res. Soc. Dev., 11(3), e27311326506. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i3.26506
Qiu, B., Shao, Q., Shi, J., Yang, C., & Chu, H. (2022). Application of biochar for the adsorption of organic pollutants from wastewater: modification strategies, mechanisms and challenges. Separation and Purification Technology, 300, 121925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2022.121925
Rubem, É. G., Vinhote, M. L. A., & Kluczkovski, A. M. (2025). O processo de extração e comercialização da castanha-do-Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa) no município de Amaturá–Amazonas. Caderno Pedagógico, 22(5), e15075. https://doi.org/10.54033/cadpedv22n5-317.
Risemberg, R. I. C., Wakin, M. & Shitsuka, R. (2026). A importância da metodologia científica no desenvolvimento de artigos científicos. Revista E-Acadêmica. 7(1), e0171675. https://doi.org/10.52076/eacadv7i1.675. https://eacademica.org/eacademica/article/view/675.
Santos, L. O., Oliveira, D. L., Nascimento, E. D., de Alencar, W. S., Siqueira, J. L. P., Vieira, D. A., & de Oliveira Carvalho, F. A. (2022). Low-cost activated carbon from the husk of Pará nuts for dye removal from aqueous solution: kinetic and thermodynamic mechanism study. Scientia Plena, 18(9). https://doi.org/10.14808/sci.plena.2022.094201.
Shah, J., Sun, H., Qiao, Z., Sharif, T., & Gul, M. (2024). Enhanced degradation of methylene blue dye using hydrothermally synthesized nickel-doped strontium oxide catalysts. Brazilian Journal of Science, 3(12), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.14295/bjs.v3i12.588
Shamsollahi, Z., & Partovinia, A. (2019). Recent advances on pollutants removal by rice husk as a bio-based adsorbent: a critical review. Journal of Environmental Management, 246, 314–323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.05.145
Shenoy, A., Bansal, V., & Shukla, B. K. (2022). Treatability of effluent from small scale dye shop using water hyacinth. Materials Today: Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.03.031
Silva, J. P. S., Silva, M. G. C., Vieira, M. G. A., & De Carvalho, S. M. L. (2025). Valorization of agro-industrial waste (Brazil nut shells) for porous carbon synthesis: single and simultaneous adsorption of ibuprofen and diclofenac from aqueous solutions. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 32(47), 27015–27036. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-025-37115-7
Silva, M. C. F., Schnorr, C., Lütke, S. F., Knani, S., Nascimento, V. X., Lima, É. C., & Dotto, G. L. (2022). Carvões ativados com KOH a partir da casca da castanha-do-pará: preparação, caracterização e sua aplicação na adsorção de fenol. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 187, 387–396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2022.09.002
Silva, J. P. S., Silva, M. G. C., Vieira, M. G. A., & De Carvalho, S. M. L. (2025). Valorization of agro-industrial waste (Brazil nut shells) for porous carbon synthesis: single and simultaneous adsorption of ibuprofen and diclofenac from aqueous solutions. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 32(47), 27015–27036. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-025-37115-7
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, Elsevier. 104(C), 333-9. Doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039.
Sousa, M. L. R., De Albuquerque, I. R., De Azevedo Ruffo, R., Prado, C. C., Prado, A. B. C., De Freitas, F. A., & Kluczkovski, A. M. (2025). Prospecção de fibras da casca de castanha-do-Brasil como insumo para embalagens de alimentos. Observatório de la Economía Latinoamericana, 23(8), e11086. https://doi.org/10.55905/oelv23n8-106
Souza, C. D. R., & Da Silva, K. de C. (2021). Potencial energético dos resíduos da castanha do Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa HBK) para produção de carvão ativado. Res. Soc. Dev., 10(2), e53310212698. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i2.12698
Souza, T. N. V., Carvalho, S. M. L., Vieira, M. G. A., Da Silva, M. G. C., & Beppu, M. M. (2019). Carvões ativados com H3PO4 produzidos a partir de caroços de açaí e cascas de castanha-do-pará: remoção do corante azul básico 26 de soluções aquosas por adsorção. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(28), 28533–28547. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05197-z
Souza, T. F. de, & Ferreira, G. M. D. (2024). Biochars as adsorbents of pesticides: laboratory-scale performances and real-world contexts, challenges, and prospects. ACS ES&T Water, 4(10), 4264–4282. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.4c00399
Thomaz, K. T. C., Queiroz, L. S., Do Carmo, F. F. K., Zamian, J. R., Do Nascimento, L. A. S., Rocha Filho, G. N., & Da Costa, C. E. (2023). Remoção de íons de Fe e Mn da água subterrânea usando carvão ativado obtido de resíduos do cultivo de castanha-do-pará e andiroba na região amazônica. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 38, e00737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2023.e00737
Valverde, A., Cabrera-Codony, A., Calvo-Schwarzwalder, M., & Myers, T. G. (2024). Investigating the impact of adsorbent particle size on column adsorption kinetics through a mathematical model. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 218, 124724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2023.124724
Vázquez-Durán, A., Nava-Ramírez, M. de J., Téllez-Isaías, G., & Méndez-Albores, A. (2022). Removal of aflatoxins using agro-waste-based materials and current characterization techniques used for biosorption assessment. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, 897302. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.897302
Yang, L., Wang, J., Lv, H., Ji, X. M., Liu, J. M., & Wang, S. (2022). Hollow-structured microporous organic networks adsorbents enabled specific and sensitive identification and determination of aflatoxins. Toxins, 14(2), 137. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14020137
Zhang, L., Yang, W., Chen, Y., & Yang, L. (2025). Removal of tetracycline from water by biochar: mechanisms, challenges, and future perspectives. Water, 17(13), 1960. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17131960
Zheng, C., Kang, K., Xie, Y., Yang, X., Lan, L., Song, H., & Bai, S. (2024). Dynamic adsorption behavior of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134a) on activated carbon beds under different humidity and moisture levels. Separation and Purification Technology, 329, 124851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2023.124851
Zhou, J., Yang, P., Kots, P. A., Cohen, M., Chen, Y., Quinn, C. M., & Vlachos, D. G. (2023). Tuning the reactivity of carbon surfaces with oxygen-containing functional groups. Nature Communications, 14(1), 2293. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37962-3
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Maria Lucidalva Ribeiro de Sousa; Camila Costa Prado, Isabela Ribeiro de Albuquerque, Ana Beatriz Costa Prado, Ana Emília Margarido de Freitas, Flavio Augusto de Freitas, Ariane Mendonça Kluczkovski
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
