Water treatment by new-generation graphene materials: hope for bright future

Abstract

Water is the most important and essential component of earth’s ecosystem playing a vital role in the proper functioning of flora and fauna. But, our water resources are contaminating continuously. The whole world may be in great water scarcity after few decades. Graphene, a single-atom thick carbon nanosheet, and graphene nanomaterials have bright future in water treatment technologies due to their extraordinary properties. Only few papers describe the use of these materials in water treatment by adsorption, filtration, and photodegradation methods. This article presents a critical evaluation of the contribution of graphene nanomaterials in water treatment. Attempts have been made to discuss the future perspectives of these materials in water treatment. Besides, the efforts are made to discuss the nanotoxicity and hazards of graphene-based materials. The suggestions are given to explore the full potential of these materials along with precautions of nanotoxicity and its hazards. It was concluded that the future of graphene-based materials is quite bright.