Chapter 6 - Water pollutants and nanosensors

Abstract

Water pollution presents a significant menace to the environment and life itself. One-third of the living population lacks access to clean drinking water. A large portion of the world's population suffers from waterborne diseases because of drinking contaminated water. Water pollution is caused by both natural and anthropogenic sources. The Industrial Revolution has produced amounts of industrial wastes in marine and fresh water, creating serious health complications for the biota. Increased human population has also brought more waste products, including toxic chemicals, cosmetic products, organic debris, and biological pollutants in fresh water. Some of these chemicals are highly toxic in nature; therefore it is necessary to detect their presence. Conventional methods have difficulties in sensing and quantification of many water pollutants. The equipment used for detection is expensive and has limited portability with high maintenance cost. Modern strategies for the detection of water pollutants have been investigated to make the equipment smaller and more robust, cost-effective, and highly selective. Among these strategies, nanostructured devices are effective because of their high efficiency, accuracy, and low energy demand. Water monitoring is one of the major applications of nanosensors, which detect pollutants created through different natural and anthropogenic sources. Water quality can be improved by rapid monitoring of major water contaminants. These sensing devices detect water pollutants in the real-world environment. This chapter focuses on detection of heavy metals, pesticides, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, industrial waste, biological pollutants, and emerging pollutants through modern nanosensors.