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Nanotechnology in environmental remediation: Transforming pollution control across diverse matrices
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Nanotechnology-based remediation strategies — including titanium dioxide photocatalysts, zero-valent iron nanoparticles, and graphene membranes — demonstrate near-complete removal of diverse pollutants including organic compounds, heavy metals, and microplastics, with case studies reporting 95% microplastic removal efficiency. Despite promising laboratory results, challenges around nanomaterial toxicity, scalability, and regulatory oversight must be resolved before widespread environmental deployment.
Environmental pollution, encompassing water contamination, air degradation, and microplastic proliferation, poses significant threats to ecosystems and human health, necessitating advanced remediation strategies. Nanotechnology, leveraging the unique physicochemical properties of materials at the nanoscale, offers transformative solutions for addressing complex pollutants in industrial effluents, wastewater, drinking water, acid mine drainage, microplastics, and air. This review synthesizes peer-reviewed literature to trace nanotechnology’s evolution from its conceptual origins in the mid-twentieth century to current applications and future prospects. Fundamental mechanisms, including adsorption, photocatalysis, and chemical reduction, are elucidated, highlighting their efficacy in achieving near-complete contaminant removal with minimal waste. Key advancements include titanium dioxide-based photocatalysts for organic pollutant degradation, zero-valent iron nanoparticles for heavy metal reduction, and graphene-based membranes for filtration. Challenges such as nanomaterial toxicity, scalability, and regulatory gaps are critically examined, alongside innovative solutions like green synthesis and hybrid system integration. Case studies demonstrate practical applications, such as 99% antibiotic degradation and 95% microplastic removal. The review underscores nanotechnology’s potential to align with global sustainability goals, advocating for interdisciplinary efforts to ensure safe, scalable, and eco-friendly remediation technologies.
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This review covers how green nanotechnology uses engineered nanomaterials to clean up environmental pollution, including contaminated water and soil. Technologies like titanium dioxide nanoparticles, graphene oxide, and biopolymer composites show promise for removing pollutants including microplastics from wastewater. While not focused solely on microplastics, the review highlights potential solutions for reducing human exposure to plastic contamination in water supplies.
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This review examines how nanotechnology-based approaches — including nanoparticle adsorbents, nanofiltration membranes, and photocatalysts — can address persistent water pollutants including pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and heavy metals more effectively than conventional treatment methods.
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This review examines how nanomaterials such as photocatalysts, adsorbents, and membrane filters can be used to remove microplastics from aquatic environments, highlighting why nanoscale properties offer advantages over conventional remediation approaches.
Next-generation nanomaterials for environmental remediation: smart design, hybrid materials and sustainable use
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Researchers reviewed advances in eco-engineered nanomaterials for remediating persistent environmental contaminants — including PFAS, microplastics, heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals — covering adsorption, photocatalytic, and magnetic recovery systems, while discussing sustainability challenges around lifecycle, toxicity, and real-world deployment.
Nanomaterial-based remediation of emerging contaminants: Performance, modeling, and environmental sustainability
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This review summarizes research on using nanomaterials to remove pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and micro and nanoplastics, from water, soil, and air. It combines lab tests with mathematical models to describe how these materials bind and break down contaminants, reporting favorable reaction conditions and improved performance when multiple nanomaterials are combined.
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