Application of Nanoadsorbents in Water Treatment

Water treatment using the adsorption process has been found to be one of the most widely used methods, and several wastewater treatment plants around the world are operating on the principle of adsorption. Numerous adsorbents, for example, activated carbon, silica gel, zeolites, low-cost adsorbents from agro-industrial wastes, biosorbents, mineral-based adsorbents, and layered-double hydroxides, have been examined for their potential in the removal (adsorption) of diverse types of aquatic pollutants. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as one of the attractive technologies for water treatment, and various nanoadsorbents have been explored for water treatment applications. This chapter briefly summarizes the progress, advances, and applications of nanoadsorbents for water remediation. A compilation of various nanoadsorbents as reported in the literature has been presented, and their main findings related to water treatment applications are discussed. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the future perspectives in this field.