Nanomaterials in soil remediation: An introduction

Abstract

Abstract Certainly, one of the main problems that society encounters today, is environmental pollution. For the remediation of environment components such as air, soil, and water, new technologies are being used. The materials used for remediation must have several properties that are not only noncontaminating in themselves but also highly effective. Some of the remediation technologies that have been developed for the improvement of pollution include precipitation, adsorption, coagulation, flocculation, ion-exchange, electrochemistry, incineration, filtration, reverse osmosis, and biological methods. These mentioned methods have some drawbacks and limitations, such as not being cost- or energy-efficiency, low removal performance, high output of sewage sludge, manufacture of toxic by-products, and the addition of more potentially toxic chemicals into the environment. Over the past decades, nanotechnology-based techniques as new methods for removal pollutants have been considered. Nowadays, given the increasing production of nanomaterials and unique properties, with their large specific surface area, microporous channels, network structure, and relatively high levels of adsorption capacity, the use of nanoproducts is suggested and has opened new pathways for soil remediation.