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Published October 2005 | public
Journal Article

Nanomaterials and Water Purification: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Advances in nanoscale science and engineering suggest that many of the current problems involving water quality could be resolved or greatly ameliorated using nanosorbents, nanocatalysts, bioactive nanoparticles, nanostructured catalytic membranes and nanoparticle enhanced filtration among other products and processes resulting from the development of nanotechnology. Innovations in the development of novel technologies to desalinate water are among the most exciting and promising. Additionally, nanotechnology-derived products that reduce the concentrations of toxic compounds to sub-ppb levels can assist in the attainment of water quality standards and health advisories. This article gives an overview of the use of nanomaterials in water purification. We highlight recent advances on the development of novel nanoscale materials and processes for treatment of surface water, groundwater and industrial wastewater contaminated by toxic metal ions, radionuclides, organic and inorganic solutes, bacteria and viruses. In addition, we discuss some challenges associated with the development of cost effective and environmentally acceptable functional nanomaterials for water purification.

Additional Information

© 2005 Springer. Received 9 March 2005; accepted in revised form 17 May 2005. Nora Savage thanks Stephen Lingle and Estella Waldman of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their efforts in editing this article. Mamadou Diallo thanks the National Science Foundation (NSF Grants CTS-0086727 and CTS-0329436) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (NCER STAR Grant R829626) for funding his research on the use of dendritic polymers as functional materials for water purification. Partial funding for this research was also provided by the Department of Energy (Cooperative Agreement EW15254), the W. M. Keck Foundation, the National Water Research Institute (Research Project Agreement NO 05-TT-004) and the NSF Sponsored Cornell University Nanobiotechnology Center. This center is funded by the STC Program of the National Science Foundation under Agreement No. ECS-9876771.

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 19, 2023