Issue 12, 2020

Platform selection of engineered nanomaterials for water decontamination applications

Abstract

Nano-enabled water treatment processes have become in recent years promising alternatives to conventional water treatment technologies. However, the lack of practical applications of nanomaterials in advancing water treatment systems suggests that major barriers—such as upscaling, practicality, and safety—are hindering their deployment. An effective strategy to overcome barriers associated with nanomaterial implementation in water technologies is their immobilization onto platforms to allow efficient, sustainable, and safe use. Herein, we define the criteria for selection of appropriate platform for decontamination (i.e., removal of chemical contaminants through adsorption or reduction/oxidation), and supply a full critical analysis of top platforms to support engineered nanoadsorbents based on current literature. The criteria for platform selection include strategic material pairing based on contaminant-removal effectiveness of the nanocomposite (i.e., active nanocomponent and platform), sustainable design, and scalability potential. The criteria outlined in this work are generalized and therefore can be used for selection of optimal platform depending on the treatment mechanism (i.e., oxidation, adsorption, etc.). We also highlight the top platforms used in recent literature to support engineered nanoadsorbents and compare the decontaminating performance of the nanocomposite to that of the nanomaterial itself. Further, we pinpoint critical aspects required for sustainable deployment of nano-enabled adsorbing systems such as leaching, regeneration, and reuse. Lastly, we evaluate the maturity and scalability potential of the available platform technologies. Our analysis shows that currently activated carbons are the optimal platform for nanoadsorbents. Overall, this work proposes a powerful tool for platform selection which can be used in future studies and highlight the best-available platform for nanoadsorption technologies – all to ultimately advance safe and effective deployment of nano-enabled water decontamination.

Graphical abstract: Platform selection of engineered nanomaterials for water decontamination applications

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
28 Jul 2020
Accepted
14 Okt 2020
First published
21 Okt 2020

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2020,7, 3641-3654

Platform selection of engineered nanomaterials for water decontamination applications

A. Borovik, V. Karanikola and I. Zucker, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2020, 7, 3641 DOI: 10.1039/D0EN00786B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements