Ion exchange materials and environmental remediation

Abstract

The presence of fluoride, pesticides, radionuclides, organic wastes, and heavy toxic metal ions in the aquatic environment has been of great concern to engineers, environmentalists, and scientists because of their increased discharge, toxic nature, and adverse effects on receiving water. Several technologies such as thermal treatment, precipitation, extraction, adsorption, and ion exchange have been proposed for the removal of these pollutants. Among these techniques, ion exchange is one of the most common and effective treatment methods. Composite materials are one of the most important classes of engineered materials, as they offer several outstanding properties as compared to conventional materials for the separation of these hazardous materials. Composite materials have shown their versatility in the separation science. The present chapter showed the application of ion exchange materials for the environmental monitoring.