Biobased Nanomaterials in Wastewater Treatment

A serious danger to human health is posed by the fast population expansion, industrialization, urbanization, and large-scale agriculture, which all contribute to water source pollution. Drinking water laced with harmful microorganisms results in several fatalities every year. Although there are many wastewater treatment options, their utilization is limited by factors, including cost, time, and the hazardous chemicals that are used to make disinfectants. An overview of nanotechnology’s use in wastewater management is given in this chapter, with particular attention paid to nanotechnology’s use in biosorption and adsorption using carbon-, metal-, polymer-, and zeolite-based nano-adsorbents, as well as in nano-filters, photocatalysis, disinfection, and pathological control. The chapter also discusses the challenges and dangers of using nanotechnology in wastewater management, including the toxicity, cost-effectiveness, risk of nanomaterial transformation in water, and ecotoxicity of nanomaterials. It is important to remember that the frequent use of nanomaterials in wastewater treatment entails a number of concerns, including their impacts on the environment and their influence on living things, possible health effects on people if exposed, and the buildup of harmful nanomaterials in the environment, in order to use nanomaterials in wastewater treatment safely and sustainably while protecting both people and the environment.