Nanotechnology Applications for Clean Water

Every year there are 2 million diarrhoeal deaths related to unsafe water supplies. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1 billion people do not have access to clean water. However, while the situation is grim, recent advances indicate that many of the current water quality problems can be addressed - and potentially resolved - using nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is already having a dramatic impact on improving water quality and Nanotechnology Applications for Clean Water highlights both the challenges and the opportunities for nanotechnology to positively influence this area of environmental protection. This comprehensive and unique treatment of the topic presents detailed information on cutting edge technologies, current research and trends that may impact upon the success and uptake of the applications. Recent advances show that many of the current problems with water quality can be addressed using nanosorbents, nanocatalysts, bioactive nanoparticles, nanostructured catalytic membranes, and nanoparticle enhanced filtration. The first four parts of the book describe these technologies in detail and demonstrate how they can provide clean drinking water in both large scale water treatment plants and in point-of-use systems. The final part of the book addresses the societal factors that may affect widespread acceptance of the applications.

New edition. Each chapter will be updated to reflect changes in the technology since 2008 but in addition, the book will be substantially re-arranged to eliminate the repetitive introductory material in many of the chapters and reorganize the technologies by function (sensing, separation, transformation, stabilization) rather than by application as in the first edition.

New sections will be added on the following topics:

• Technology Diffusion
• Application of Functionalized Nanowires for Contaminant Sensing
• Nano Cantilevers as Contaminant Sensing Platforms

Swellable Organic-modified Silica (nano-Glass) for Adsorption of Organic Contaminants in the Environment.