240
Table 13.1 Current and potential applications of nanotechnology in water and wastewater
treatment
Applications
Representative
nanomaterials
Desirable nanomaterial properties Enabled technologies
Adsorption
Carbon
nanotubes
High specific surface area, highly
assessable adsorption sites, diverse
contaminant-CNT interactions,
tunable surface chemistry, easy
reuse
Contaminant
preconcentration/
detection, adsorption
of recalcitrant
contaminants
Nanoscale metal
oxide
High specific surface area, short
intraparticle diffusion distance,
more adsorption sites,
compressible without significant
surface area reduction, easy reuse,
some are superparamagnetic
Adsorptive media
filters, slurry reactors
Nanofibers with
core-shell
structure
Tailored shell surface chemistry
for selective adsorption, reactive
core for degradation, short internal
diffusion distance
Reactive
nano-adsorbents
Membranes and
membrane
processes
Nano-zeolites
Molecular sieve, hydrophilicity
High-permeability
thin-film
nanocomposite
membranes
Nano-Ag
Strong and wide-spectrum
antimicrobial activity, low toxicity
to humans
Anti-biofouling
membranes
Carbon
nanotubes
Antimicrobial activity (unaligned
carbon nanotubes)
Anti-biofouling
membranes
Small diameter, atomic smoothness
of inner surface, tunable opening
chemistry, high mechanical and
chemical stability
Aligned carbon
nanotube membranes
Aquaporin
High permeability and selectivity Aquaporin membranes
Nano-TiO 2
Photocatalytic activity,
hydrophilicity, high chemical
stability
Reactive membranes,
high-performance
thin-film
nanocomposite
membranes
Nano-magnetite Tunable surface chemistry,
superparamagnetic
Forward osmosis
Photocatalysis Nano-TiO 2
Photocatalytic activity in UV and
possibly visible light range, low
human toxicity, high stability, low
cost
Photocatalytic
reactors, solar
disinfection systems
Fullerene
derivatives
Photocatalytic activity in solar
spectrum, high selectivity
Photocatalytic
reactors, solar
disinfection systems
(continued)
13 Wastewater