20 - Nanoadsorbents as a green approach for removal of environmental pollutants

Abstract

Water is a renewable source of energy that is sufficiently available in nature. Although it is abundantly present in nature, the equally great exploitation of water bodies poses a dire need to recycle the worn-out water supplies by treating them through different technologies. Multifarious technologies have been applied to wastewater bodies for the removal of contaminants. Adsorption has been opted as a competent method for treating wastewater bodies based upon its unique characteristics such as easy and simple processing, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and robustness. Various choices of adsorbents have been employed based on the available sources and required outcomes. Recently, attention has been diverted toward the usage of nanoadsorbents by incorporating the nanotechnology principles onto the available adsorbents. Nanotechnology has become an ever-flourishing discipline nowadays, improving the various aspects of different fields. It is rightly to say that nanotechnology has become the backbone of a wide variety of fields, aiding toward the betterment of society by remolding the environment. Different nanoadsorbents being used for the removal of contaminants from wastewater bodies ultimately leading to environmental remediation include carbon nanotubes, metal oxide nanoparticles, zeolites, polymers, biopolymer-based nanomaterials, etc. This chapter focuses on the exploitation of nanoadsorbents for the removal of contaminants from wastewater bodies.