An overview of biogenic metallic nanoparticles for water treatment and purification: the state of the art

Abstract

The environment is fundamental to human existence, and protecting it from dangerous contaminants should be a top priority for all stakeholders. Reducing garbage output has helped, but as the world's population grows, more waste will be generated. Tons of waste inadvertently and advertently received by environmental matrixes adversely affect the sustainable environment. The pollution caused by these activities affects the environment and human health. Conventional remediation processes ranging from chemical, physical, and biological procedures use macroaggregated materials and microorganisms to degrade or remove pollutants. Undesirable limitations of expensiveness, disposal challenges, maintenance, and formation of secondary contaminants abound. Additionally, multiple stages of treatments to remove different contaminants are time-consuming. The need to avoid these limitations and shift towards sustainable approaches brought up nanotechnology options. Currently, nanomaterials are being used for environmental rejuvenation that involves the total degradation of pollutants without secondary pollution. As nanoparticles are primed with vast and modifiable reactive sites for adsorption, photocatalysis, and disinfection, they are more useful in remediating pollutants. Review articles on metallic nanoparticles usually focus on chemically synthesized ones, with a particular focus on their adsorption capacity and toxicities. Therefore, this review evaluates the current status of biogenic metallic nanoparticles for water treatment and purification. HIGHLIGHTS Water challenges, pollution and remediation.; Roles of conventional and nanotechnological technologies.; Metallic nanoparticles as adsorbents, photocatalysts, and water disinfectants.; Mechanisms of photocatalysis and water disinfection of metallic nanoparticles.; Possible challenges of metallic nanoparticles in water remediation.;

Keywords

• disinfection
• magnetic separation
• metallic nanoparticles
• nanoadsorbents
• photocatalysis
• remediation