Volume 2 - Issue 2, March - April 2026

Nigeria faces a dual environmental challenge of increasing organic-waste generation and persistent pollution of surface and groundwater systems. Poor waste collection, open dumping, weak wastewater treatment, and diffuse agricultural and urban runoff have intensified contamination of rivers, streams, wetlands, and shallow aquifers, while large volumes of biodegradable residues from cassava processing, rice milling, food markets, sawmilling, and oil-palm activities remain underutilized. This review examines the potential of valorizing organic waste into functional materials for the bioremediation of polluted water bodies in Nigeria. The paper synthesizes current evidence on major Nigerian waste streams, conversion pathways, waste-derived remediation materials, pollutant-removal mechanisms, and implementation opportunities within a circular-economy framework. Particular attention is given to biosorbents, biochar, activated carbon-like materials, and biologically active media derived from cassava peels, rice husks, sawdust, market waste, and other biodegradable feedstocks. The review shows that these materials can remove heavy metals, dyes, nutrients, suspended solids, pathogens, and selected organic pollutants through adsorption, ion exchange, surface complexation, filtration, precipitation, and microbially assisted degradation. The paper also highlights Nigeria-specific opportunities for decentralized deployment in agroprocessing zones, market clusters, and pollution hotspots where feedstock availability and water-quality pressures overlap. However, major barriers remain, including poor source segregation, inconsistent feedstock quality, limited field-scale validation, weak standardization, uncertain regeneration pathways, and fragmented institutional coordination. The study concludes that organic-waste valorization offers a practical and sustainable pathway for simultaneously reducing waste burdens and improving water quality in Nigeria, but successful scale-up will require pilot-based implementation, stronger policy integration, and closer alignment between research, local enterprise, and environmental regulation.

Oyekemi Omolara Sekoni,"Valorizing Organic Waste for Bioremediation of Polluted Water Bodies: A Sustainable Approach to Waste Management and Environmental Protection in Nigeria" International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Educational Development, V2(2): Page(1274-1296) Mar-Apr 2026. ISSN: 3107-6513. www.ijamred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.