Carbon Nanomaterials for the Treatment of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Water and Environmental Remediation

Abstract Nanotechnology is an advanced field of science having the ability to solve the variety of environmental challenges by controlling the size and shape of the materials at a nanoscale. Carbon nanomaterials are unique because of their nontoxic nature, high surface area, easier biodegradation, and particularly useful environmental remediation. Heavy metal contamination in water is a major problem and poses a great risk to human health. Carbon nanomaterials are getting more and more attention due to their superior physicochemical properties that can be exploited for advanced treatment of heavy metal-contaminated water. Carbon nanomaterials namely carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphene, graphene oxide, and activated carbon have great potential for removal of heavy metals from water because of their large surface area, nanoscale size, and availability of different functionalities and they are easier to be chemically modified and recycled. In this article, we have reviewed the recent advancements in the applications of these carbon nanomaterials in the treatment of heavy metal-contaminated water and have also highlighted their application in environmental remediation. Toxicological aspects of carbon-based nanomaterials have also been discussed.

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Adsorption of Hexavalent Chromium and Divalent Lead Ions on the Nitrogen-Enriched Chitosan-Based Activated Carbon

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11081907 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1907

Author(s):

Fatma Hussain Emamy ◽

Ali Bumajdad ◽

Jerzy P. Lukaszewicz

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metal ◽

Activated Carbon ◽

Metal Ions ◽

Metal Removal ◽

High Surface ◽

Heavy Metal Removal ◽

High Surface Area ◽

Kinetics Of Adsorption ◽

Removal Of Heavy Metals ◽

Pseudo Second Order

Optimizing the physicochemical properties of the chitosan-based activated carbon (Ch-ACs) can greatly enhance its performance toward heavy metal removal from contaminated water. Herein, Ch was converted into a high surface area (1556 m2/g) and porous (0.69 cm3/g) ACs with large content of nitrogen (~16 wt%) using K2CO3 activator and urea as nitrogen-enrichment agents. The prepared Ch-ACs were tested for the removal of Cr(VI) and Pb(II) at different pH, initial metal ions concentration, time, activated carbon dosage, and temperature. For Cr(VI), the best removal was at pH = 2, while for Pb(II) the best pH for its removal was in the range of 4–6. At 25 °C, the Temkin model gives the best fit for the adsorption of Cr(VI), while the Langmuir model was found to be better for Pb(II) ions. The kinetics of adsorption of both heavy metal ions were found to be well-fitted by a pseudo-second-order model. The findings show that the efficiency and the green properties (availability, recyclability, and cost effectiveness) of the developed adsorbent made it a good candidate for wastewaters treatment. As preliminary work, the prepared sorbent was also tested regarding the removal of heavy metals and other contaminations from real wastewater and the obtained results were found to be promising.

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Application of Nanostructured Carbon-Based Electrochemical (Bio)Sensors for Screening of Emerging Pharmaceutical Pollutants in Waters and Aquatic Species: A Review

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano10071268 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1268 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Álvaro Torrinha ◽

Thiago M. B. F. Oliveira ◽

Francisco W.P. Ribeiro ◽

Adriana N. Correia ◽

Pedro Lima-Neto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Nanomaterials ◽

Low Cost ◽

High Surface ◽

High Surface Area ◽

Aquatic Species ◽

Transfer Rates ◽

Production Methods ◽

Pharmaceutical Pollutants ◽

Carbon Based Nanomaterials ◽

Carbon Based

Pharmaceuticals, as a contaminant of emergent concern, are being released uncontrollably into the environment potentially causing hazardous effects to aquatic ecosystems and consequently to human health. In the absence of well-established monitoring programs, one can only imagine the full extent of this problem and so there is an urgent need for the development of extremely sensitive, portable, and low-cost devices to perform analysis. Carbon-based nanomaterials are the most used nanostructures in (bio)sensors construction attributed to their facile and well-characterized production methods, commercial availability, reduced cost, high chemical stability, and low toxicity. However, most importantly, their relatively good conductivity enabling appropriate electron transfer rates—as well as their high surface area yielding attachment and extraordinary loading capacity for biomolecules—have been relevant and desirable features, justifying the key role that they have been playing, and will continue to play, in electrochemical (bio)sensor development. The present review outlines the contribution of carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, graphene, fullerene, carbon nanofibers, carbon black, carbon nanopowder, biochar nanoparticles, and graphite oxide), used alone or combined with other (nano)materials, to the field of environmental (bio)sensing, and more specifically, to pharmaceutical pollutants analysis in waters and aquatic species. The main trends of this field of research are also addressed.

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High surface area mesoporous titanium–zirconium oxide nanofibrous web: a heavy metal ion adsorbent

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/c3ta00030c ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1 (19) ◽

pp. 5847 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Jonghyun Choi ◽

Andreas Ide ◽

Yen B. Truong ◽

Ilias L. Kyratzis ◽

Rachel A. Caruso

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metal ◽

Surface Area ◽

Zirconium Oxide ◽

Metal Ion ◽

High Surface ◽

High Surface Area ◽

Heavy Metal Ion ◽

Titanium Zirconium

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Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles for Environmental Remediation

Materials Science and Engineering ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-1798-6.ch028 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 705-741

Author(s):

Ravindra Kumar Gautam ◽

Shivani Soni ◽

Mahesh Chandra Chattopadhyaya

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Magnetic Nanoparticles ◽

Environmental Remediation ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Low Cost ◽

High Surface ◽

High Surface Area ◽

Toxic Metal ◽

Volume Ratio ◽

Removal Of Heavy Metals

Water pollution by anthropogenic activities is proving to be of critical concern as the heavy metals affect aquatic organisms and can quickly disperse to large distances. This poses a risk to both human health and the aquatic biota. Hence, there is a need to treat the wastewater containing toxic metals before they are discharged into the water bodies. During recent years, magnetic nanoparticles came to the foreground of scientific interest as a potential adsorbent of novel wastewater treatment processes. Magnetic nanoparticles have received much attention due to their unique properties, such as extremely small size, high surface-area-to-volume ratio, surface modifiability, multi functionality, excellent magnetic properties, low-cost synthesis, and great biocompatibility. The multi-functional magnetic nanoparticles have been successfully applied for the reduction of toxic metal ions up to ppb level in waste-treated water. This chapter highlights the potential application of magnetic nanoparticles for the removal of heavy metals.

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Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles for Environmental Remediation

Handbook of Research on Diverse Applications of Nanotechnology in Biomedicine, Chemistry, and Engineering - Advances in Chemical and Materials Engineering ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-6363-3.ch024 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 518-551 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ravindra Kumar Gautam ◽

Shivani Soni ◽

Mahesh Chandra Chattopadhyaya

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Magnetic Nanoparticles ◽

Environmental Remediation ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Low Cost ◽

High Surface ◽

High Surface Area ◽

Toxic Metal ◽

Volume Ratio ◽

Removal Of Heavy Metals

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High surface area Nanoflakes of P-gC3N4 photocatalyst loaded with Ag nanoparticle with intraplanar and interplanar charge separation for environmental remediation

Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A Chemistry ◽

10.1016/j.jphotochem.2020.113098 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 408 ◽

pp. 113098

Author(s):

Nirmala Thorat ◽

Sujata Borade ◽

Ranjana Varma ◽

Asha Yadav ◽

Suraj Gupta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Area ◽

Charge Separation ◽

Environmental Remediation ◽

High Surface ◽

High Surface Area ◽

Ag Nanoparticle

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Hierarchical flowerlike magnesium oxide hollow spheres with extremely high surface area for adsorption and catalysis

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/c5ta08542j ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 400-406 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

Shuliang Yang ◽

Peipei Huang ◽

Li Peng ◽

Changyan Cao ◽

Yanan Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metal ◽

Surface Area ◽

Magnesium Oxide ◽

Heavy Metal Ions ◽

Catalytic Properties ◽

Condensation Reaction ◽

High Surface ◽

Hollow Spheres ◽

High Surface Area ◽

Adsorption Properties

3D hierarchical flowerlike MgO hollow spheres with extremely high surface area showed excellent adsorption properties for heavy metal ions and catalytic properties for the Claisen–Schmidt condensation reaction.

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Bio-inspired surface-functionalization of graphene oxide for the adsorption of organic dyes and heavy metal ions with a superhigh capacity

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/c3ta14751g ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2 (14) ◽

pp. 5034-5040 ◽

Cited By ~ 175

Author(s):

Zhihui Dong ◽

Dong Wang ◽

Xia Liu ◽

Xianfeng Pei ◽

Liwei Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metal ◽

Graphene Oxide ◽

Synergistic Effect ◽

Metal Ions ◽

Surface Area ◽

Surface Functionalization ◽

Heavy Metal Ions ◽

Organic Dyes ◽

High Surface ◽

High Surface Area

By utilizing the synergistic effect of poly-dopamine (PD) with functional groups and graphene oxide (GO) with a high surface area, a series of sub-nano thick PD layer coated GO (PD/GO) composites were fabricated and used for effectively decontaminating wastewater.

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