This article gives an overview of the application of nanomaterials in environmental remediation. In the area of environmental remediation, nanomaterials offer the potential for the efficient removal of pollutants and biological contaminants. Nanomaterials in various shapes/morphologies, such as nanoparticles, tubes, wires, fibres etc., function as adsorbents and catalysts and their composites with polymers are used for the detection and removal of gases (SO2, CO, NOx, etc.), contaminated chemicals (arsenic, iron, manganese, nitrate, heavy metals, etc.), organic pollutants (aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons) and biological substances, such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and antibiotics. Nanomaterials show a better performance in environmental remediation than other conventional techniques because of their high surface area (surface-to-volume ratio) and their associated high reactivity. Recent advances in the fabrication of novel nanoscale materials and processes for the treatment of drinking water and industrial waste water contaminated by toxic metal ions, radionuclides, organic and inorganic solutes, bacteria and viruses and the treatment of air are highlighted. In addition, recent advances in the application of polymer nanocomposite materials for the treatment of contaminants and the monitoring of pollutants are also discussed. Furthermore, the research trends and future prospects are briefly discussed.

A review on nanomaterials for environmental remediation

XPS study of silver, nickel and bimetallic silver–nickel nanoparticles prepared by seed-mediated growth

Removal of contaminants in wastewater, such as heavy metals, has become a severe problem in the world. Numerous technologies have been developed to deal with this problem. As an emerging technology, nanotechnology has been gaining increasing interest and many nanomaterials have been developed to remove heavy metals from polluted water, due to their excellent features resulting from the nanometer effect. In this work, novel nanomaterials, including carbon-based nanomaterials, zero-valent metal, metal-oxide based nanomaterials, and nanocomposites, and their applications for the removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater were systematically reviewed. Their efficiency, limitations, and advantages were compared and discussed. Furthermore, the promising perspective of nanomaterials in environmental applications was also discussed and potential directions for future work were suggested.

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/9/3/424/pdf

Nanomaterials for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Wastewater

Nanomaterials for removal of toxic elements from water

Nanomaterials-enabled water and wastewater treatment

http://www.dstuns.iitm.ac.in/listpdf/229_SI.pdf

E. Sumesh

Papers

A practical silver nanoparticle-based adsorbent for the removal of Hg2+ from water.