Chapter 6 - Carbon nanotubes–based nanoadsorbents in wastewater treatment

Abstract

The increase in global population and industrial development had persistently threatened the availability and sustainability of water resources. The predominant pollutants found in wastewater are heavy metals, toxic dyes, and antibiotics. Researchers have been making concerted efforts to avoid total disruption of clean water supply. Nanotechnology had been rated to have crucial potential in wastewater treatment to reduce water shortage. Among other treatment methods, adsorption is the most preferred due to its ease of operation, flexibility, and low maintenance cost. Various adsorbents had been used for wastewater treatment such as biochar, activated carbon, clay, zeolite, metallic oxides, nanoparticles, and carbonaceous nanomaterials. The carbon-based nanomaterials include graphene, graphene oxide, fullerenes, carbon nanofibers, and carbon nanotubes. Among them, carbon nanotubes had attracted increased attention from researchers in the removal of pollutants from wastewater due to their nanoscale size, high surface properties, pliable structural features, adsorption capacities, and availability of different functional groups that enable them to be modified easily. This chapter highlights the application of both carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotubes–based nanoadsorbents for the removal of heavy metals, toxic dyes, and antibiotics from wastewater. Above all, the pollutants’ attributes along with their toxicity concerns and the effectiveness of carbon nanotubes usage in wastewater treatment are discussed.