Nanotechnology Enabled Multifunctional Materials for Removal of Toxicants from Wastewater

Abstract

Providing clean and potable water for human use is a great challenge of the twenty-first century. Globally, water supply wrestles to keep flow with the rapidly increasing demand which is aggravated by global climate change, increasing population and drop-down in water quality. Hence, to enable integrated water management, the need for technological innovation cannot be exaggerated. Nanotechnology shows high potential in improving water and wastewater treatment efficiencies as well as enhancement of water supply by safeguarding unconventional water sources. Therefore, next generation water supply systems can be the result of leapfrogging opportunities provided by advancement in nanotechnology. The sustainability of our current water treatment, their distribution and discharge system are no longer viable due to their dependency on conveyance and centralized systems. The provided review accounts for nanotechnology enabled water treatment solutions through various multifunctional nanomaterials capable of transforming the current water treatment systems. High surface area, tunable pore size, optical, catalytic and magnetic properties, antimicrobial activity and surface chemistry are some of the magnificent properties of nanomaterials which make them a potential candidate for multiple applications. These properties of nanomaterials are applicable in water treatment as adsorbents, sensors for water quality monitoring, disinfection and for preparation of high quality nanomembranes. More importantly, the highly efficient, flexible and multifunctional materials enabled by nanotechnology provide a promising route both to retrofit aging infrastructure and to develop high performance, low maintenance decentralized treatment systems including point-of-use devices.