Nanotechnology in wastewater treatment

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Our water consumption is increasing by the day, and the Earth no longer has enough water to meet everyone's needs. As a result, a circular economy is required, in which the water we use from various sources such as bathing, laundry, wash basin is treated, recycled and utilised at the decentralized level for non-potable uses. 
The traditional methods of treating wastewater (for reuse), such as particle settling and chlorine disinfection, are both time-consuming and inefficient. To be honest, wastewater composition is highly complex, influenced by a range of chemical, physical and microbiological factors, resulting in several uncertainties in wastewater treatment systems. These uncertainties lead to changes in effluent water quality, operating expenses, fluctuate the removal efficiencies and contaminate the waterways, exacerbating the problem. The effective solution to this is Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is one of the many technologies that have proved to be an excellent way for wastewater treatment and have a lot of potential. 
It’s success can be attributed to a variety of factors and scientists are continually seeking to improve its application.
Nanoparticles have a variety of unique properties, such as:-

  • A large surface area allowing it to effectively remove harmful metal ions, disease-causing microorganisms, organic and inorganic solutes from water.

Some nanoparticles that have been shown to be effective for water purification are metal-containing nanoparticles, nanostructured catalytic membranes, nanosorbents, carbonaceous nanomaterials, zeolites, MIPs, etc.


  • Due to their small size and high fraction of atoms at the surface, they conserve a lot of energy resulting in cost savings and also have a tremendous capacity for absorbing, interacting and reacting. 


  • They can also be combined with aqueous solutions to act as a colloid.

  • They have the capability to purify water at depths and in locations where other conventional methods have failed.

Nanotechnology has achieved significant advances in wastewater treatment and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future.

Compared to traditional, materials-based procedures, nanotechnology based treatments have proven to be exceedingly cost-effective, less time and energy intensive, long lasting and generate significantly less waste. Additionally, nanotechnology can assist Artificial Intelligence in achieving better results, thereby lowering the difficulties and complications associated with wastewater treatment.

Now, the question that arises is whether nanotechnology can be integrated with wastewater at a decentralized level i.e the society/ home to treat waste water in a more precise and accurate way on both small and large scale.
Let’s take the next step to make this possible! 

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