Chalcogenides-based nanomaterials for contaminant removal in wastewater treatment

Abstract

The pollution has been increasing day by day which highly affects the environment. The longer we wait to take action to save the environment, the harder it will be. Increasing organic and inorganic waste production has made widespread pollution and water contamination due to rapid growth in population. It is believed that contaminated water poses a significant danger to water security. Precipitation, adsorption, electro-chemical, photocatalysis, and membrane filtration are just some of the methods for purifying the water supply. One of the most efficient methods for eliminating dissolved metal ions from wastewater is photocatalysis. High efficiency, cost-effectiveness, avoiding residual pollutants, and direct application of solar energy are only a few of the benefits of the photocatalytic approach compared to other methods. Due to their lower band gaps, charge carrier mobility, and visible-light absorption, nanomaterials based on chalcogenides are widely employed as photocatalysts. A more significant number of active sites per unit surface area and a longer distance over which charge carriers could diffuse are two novel qualities that emerged due to the quantum size effect, caused by the reduction in the size of chalcogenides. In this chapter, we will dive deep into the novel application of nanomaterials based on chalcogenides for contaminant removal in wastewater treatment. Water contamination, its treatment, and the other environmental toxins are explored in detail. These chalcogenide-based compounds are used as catalysts to purify water from industrial wastes and remove environmental toxins.