Foreword
It is most fitting that this foreword is being written literally on the eve of the very first
field-scale demonstration, two decades ago, of the efficacy of nanoscale zero-valent
iron (nZVI) as a remediation technology for the treatment of contaminated groundwater at a manufacturing site in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. Memorialized in an
Environ. Sci. Technol. journal article co-authored with Professor Wei-xian Zhang,
the “Father” of the nZVI technology in 2001, this initial work was, in the clarity of
retrospection, modest in scope and observations. We found that a kilo of nZVI slurry
could be gravity-fed into the surficial sand-dominated aquifer impacted by
trichloroethene, that nZVI aggregated very quickly, that the potential for subsurface
travel seemed rather limited, and that multiple injections might be required to clean
up a site, among others. What we could not have anticipated at that time was the
spark this trailblazing work would eventually represent. Since those humble beginnings at Lehigh University, scores of research groups all over the world and some
remediation practitioners are working with improved versions of the nZVI technology and a new generation of novel nanomaterials with a common goal—to identify,
develop, and apply nanotechnology-based remediation agents to enhance environmental quality, especially that of soils and groundwater which can profoundly
impact our potable water supplies. Among the most prolific contributors to this
burgeoning community of nanoremediation researchers and practitioners are my
colleagues from the Czech Republic who have edited this comprehensive and
soon-to-be impactful tome.
The Editors, Principal Investigators, and Subject Matter Experts who contributed
to Advanced Nano-Bio Technologies for Water and Soil Treatment are among the
burgeoning field of applied environmental nanotechnology’s most impactful contributors. Several of these scientists and engineers played key roles in the pivotal
EU-led NanoRem consortium of 28 universities, national laboratories, and industry
that, from 2013 to 2017, spearheaded the basic research, development, and application of a spectrum of promising nanomaterials for environmental remediation. Over
the past 5 years, continued academic interest and, to some degree, the commercial
development of key “nanoremediation” technologies are most encouraging. As is
v
It is most fitting that this foreword is being written literally on the eve of the very first
field-scale demonstration, two decades ago, of the efficacy of nanoscale zero-valent
iron (nZVI) as a remediation technology for the treatment of contaminated groundwater at a manufacturing site in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. Memorialized in an
Environ. Sci. Technol. journal article co-authored with Professor Wei-xian Zhang,
the “Father” of the nZVI technology in 2001, this initial work was, in the clarity of
retrospection, modest in scope and observations. We found that a kilo of nZVI slurry
could be gravity-fed into the surficial sand-dominated aquifer impacted by
trichloroethene, that nZVI aggregated very quickly, that the potential for subsurface
travel seemed rather limited, and that multiple injections might be required to clean
up a site, among others. What we could not have anticipated at that time was the
spark this trailblazing work would eventually represent. Since those humble beginnings at Lehigh University, scores of research groups all over the world and some
remediation practitioners are working with improved versions of the nZVI technology and a new generation of novel nanomaterials with a common goal—to identify,
develop, and apply nanotechnology-based remediation agents to enhance environmental quality, especially that of soils and groundwater which can profoundly
impact our potable water supplies. Among the most prolific contributors to this
burgeoning community of nanoremediation researchers and practitioners are my
colleagues from the Czech Republic who have edited this comprehensive and
soon-to-be impactful tome.
The Editors, Principal Investigators, and Subject Matter Experts who contributed
to Advanced Nano-Bio Technologies for Water and Soil Treatment are among the
burgeoning field of applied environmental nanotechnology’s most impactful contributors. Several of these scientists and engineers played key roles in the pivotal
EU-led NanoRem consortium of 28 universities, national laboratories, and industry
that, from 2013 to 2017, spearheaded the basic research, development, and application of a spectrum of promising nanomaterials for environmental remediation. Over
the past 5 years, continued academic interest and, to some degree, the commercial
development of key “nanoremediation” technologies are most encouraging. As is
v