Nano-geomaterials for water treatment

Abstract

The increasing worldwide contamination of water systems with thousands of industrial and natural chemical compounds is one of the key environmental problems facing humanity. To provide safe water using various strategies is then becoming a global challenge. Compared with the synthetic or commercial materials, nano-geomaterials are ubiquitous, cost-effective, and environmental friendly, which provide rivalrous alternative in water treatment. Therefore, this chapter presents the recent development in the application of nano-geomaterials for water treatment. Firstly, the composition, structure, and physical-chemical properties of typical nano-geomaterials such as halloysite, sepiolite, and hydrotalcite are briefly introduced. Secondly, to further increase their performance in the removal of contaminants in water, the different activation methods and surface modification strategies were summarized. Finally, the application of nano-geomaterials as absorbents for the efficient removal of aqueous contaminants such as heavy metals and organic pollutants was presented. The aim of this handbook is to present a comprehensive summary and give the basic information for the application of nano-geomaterials in water treatment.