Wastewater Treatment Using Nanotechnology and Microorganisms-Assisted Nanotechnology

Water is vital for the maintenance of life on earth. Rapid population growth, growing industrialization, urbanization, and widespread of agricultural activities have led to the production of contaminated wastewater. Every year, millions of people die from diseases caused by drinking water tainted with harmful microorganisms. About 50% of child deaths and 80% of diseases worldwide are correlated to bad water quality. The environment is seriously endangered by these contaminants. Removing pollutants from wastewater is a significant challenge. Conventional treatment of contaminated water can only remove 20–30% of organic matter, and 50–60% of water turbidity. With the development of environment ecofriendly nanomaterials with improved physical, chemical and mechanical qualities, besides simplicity of functionalization, they became more popular for wastewater management. Nowadays, green nanotechnology is a promising issue for wastewater treatment using microorganisms and enzymes, some immobilized enzymes were able to extract Cu, Fe, Cr, and Pb by 29.63, 35.53, 39.31, and 34.48%, respectively, from wastewater. This review article primarily focuses on some kinds of nanomaterials used in waste water treatment. Some methods being applied for wastewater treatment using microorganisms and enzymes-based nanotechnology have been also discussed. The application of nanotechnology in wastewater treatment has shown a broad prospect, but still needs further research and improvement.