• • Carbon/iron-based heterogeneous Fenton catalysts increase active site density and accelerate Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycling, overcoming limitations of conventional iron catalysts (e.g., insufficient active sites, low recycling efficiency).
• • Compositing iron with carbon materials (e.g., graphene, carbon nanotubes) enhances electron transfer and H2O2 activation, leading to improved degradation rates of organic pollutants.
• • Physical field-assisted systems (e.g., photo-, electro-, ultrasound) can further enhance heterogeneous Fenton reaction efficiency by promoting radical generation and mass transfer.
• • The review identifies that future development should focus on scalable synthesis, long-term stability, and mechanistic understanding to translate laboratory findings to industrial water treatment applications.