Abstract

Zeolites are highly effective, versatile, and cost-effective porous materials for industrial effluent treatment and CO2 capture due to their high surface area, ion-exchange capacity, and tunable surface chemistry. Recent advances focus on waste-derived, modified, and hybrid zeolites that offer superior removal of heavy metals, dyes, and CO2, while promoting circular economy principles. However, this work focus on assessing Advances in Industrial Effluent Treatment, Alternative Synthesis: Synthesis using waste materials like coal fly ash (CFA), rice husk ash (RHA), and metakaolin (MK) reduces costs and environmental impact. Also, Targeted Contaminants: Zeolites demonstrate high capacity for adsorbing heavy metals and dyes from industrial wastewater; Hybrid Materials: Composites of zeolite with materials like chitosan or activated carbon have shown enhanced adsorption capacities; Advances in Carbon Dioxide Mitigation, Modification Strategies: Amine-functionalized zeolites have achieved high capture capacities; Structural Engineering: Development of hierarchical zeolites minimizes diffusion limitations and pore blockage; Gas Separation: Zeolites are increasingly optimized for post-combustion capture and biogas upgrading. Moreover, the Challenges and Future Outlook remain regarding the long-term hydrothermal stability of zeolites, their regeneration efficiency in real industrial settings, and the high cost of specialized synthetic zeolites. Future research is focused on enhancing selectivity for over nitrogen/water vapor and improving the scalability of zeolite production.