A Review of Environmental Applications of Nanoscale and Microscale Reactive Metal Particles

Abstract

The problem of environmental contamination has seen increased interest in recent years as the full impact of various contaminants on flora, fauna, and human beings is being uncovered. In light of this, a great deal of research has been conducted to develop remediation technologies capable of combating this problem. A large variety of pollutants are currently found in the environment, including organic halides, energetic materials, and heavy metals. One of the most promising avenues of research involves the use of microscale and nanoscale metal particles in the remediation process, due to the vast array of useful properties possessed by these particles. Different metals have been tested for activity against several different classes of environmental pollutants, and a synopsis of the results for many of these tests will be provided in this chapter.