Strategies for Organochlorine/Organobromine Removal from Aqueous Environment Using Nanotechnology: A Review

Abstract

Organohalogens have been discovered since the 1930s and have been used for many applications ever since. The rapid development of industrial activities and reliance on organochlorine/organobromine compounds have further increased their production, ultimately leading to their leakage into our natural environment, where they circulate indefinitely. Exposure to these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) not only results in detrimental effects on human health, such as various cancers, nervous system damage, and liver damage, in addition to fetal and infant growth defects, but also affects fauna, such as bird populations, by depriving them of the ability to reproduce successfully, and farm livestock. The direct consumption of the latter or its derivatives will also lead to the bioaccumulation of POPs in the human body. The POP treatment methods discussed in this review include granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, magnetic nanospheres coated with polystyrene, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), UV, as well as O3 ozonation. The mechanisms, along with the advantages and drawbacks of these methods, were thoroughly discussed. Finally, challenges faced in reducing organochlorine/organobromine pollution were discussed, such as the lack of updates on water quality standards and the list of dangerous pollutants, and the failure to control illegal disposal issues.