19 - Biopolymeric nanomaterials: water purification

Abstract

The nonavailability of pure drinking water is one of the most prevalent issues troubling people worldwide. Therefore, wastewater treatment is highly essential to make it in a reusable form to meet future needs. Water purification has been the attention and devotion of many researchers and government agencies nowadays. Many wastewater treatment techniques have been employed, and amalgamation of innovative nano-centric methods with traditional approaches has presented remarkable benefits. As a result of their green and ecofriendly nature, biopolymeric nanomaterials have gained attention toward water purification. This chapter presents a beneficial role of biopolymeric nanomaterials, including chitosan-based biopolymeric nanomaterials, cellulose-based biopolymeric nanomaterials, gelatin hydrogel–based biopolymeric nanomaterials, clay polymer–based biopolymeric nanomaterials, alginate hydrogels–based biopolymeric nanomaterials applications in water purification. This chapter also focuses on the specific properties of these biopolymeric nanomaterials needed to speed up large-scale water treatment applications for the effective treatment of various pollutants.