Resumen
El agua contaminada con metales pesados representa un riesgo crítico para la salud y los ecosistemas, especialmente en las regiones cacaoteras donde convergen las actividades agroindustriales y mineras. Este trabajo presenta una revisión estructurada sobre el uso de residuos de cacao como plataforma para el desarrollo de biosorbentes, materiales carbonosos y nanomateriales para la remoción de metales en sistemas acuosos. Se realizó una búsqueda en bases de datos científicas y se seleccionaron estudios con una clara caracterización de los materiales y evaluación experimental en fase acuosa. La evidencia se organizó según el tipo de residuo y material, discutiendo su desempeño, ventajas y limitaciones. Además, se identificaron brechas de investigación relacionadas con la escasez de ensayos en matrices del mundo real, información limitada sobre regeneración y vida útil, el tratamiento de Hg(II) y la falta de análisis integrales de sostenibilidad y viabilidad en contextos latinoamericanos.
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