Functionalized Nanomaterials for Environmental Remediation

Abstract

Environmental remediation signifies the eradication of contaminants from the environmental media such as air, water, and soil. The persistence of various undesirable substances such as pesticides, heavy metal ions, and dyes, as well as aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, biological residues such as viruses, bacteria, and antibiotics in the environment are causing a considerable ecological imbalance. The numerous conventional methods such as precipitation, in situ thermal sorption, ion-exchange, thermal destruction, extraction, etc., have been used for the remediation process for decades. Recent studies portray nanotechnology as having emerged to provide an alternative to these traditionally known methods. The attractive feature of such nanomaterials in view of their smaller size and high surface-to-volume ratio, is that they offer higher reactivity and better performance than conventional bulk materials. In addition, the properties of the prepared nanomaterial can also be tuned by varying its active surface groups via a functionalization process. The key significance is that the desired functionalities specifically required for the targeted material can be easily introduced by this process. The surface modification or the functionalization can be carried out by either an in situ or an ex situ approach. A brief discussion on such functionalization strategies is also highlighted in this context. In addition, the mechanistic insights into the remediation process in the presence of suitable nano-ranged material such as nano-adsorbents, nano-photocatalysts, and nano-membranes is also mentioned here. In summary, in the following article, the synthetic approach to the functionalized nanomaterials and their potential applications for the efficient removal of toxic pollutants are described.