ABSTRACT
Water scarcity has become a major issue in many developing countries as a result of globalization and industrialization. Water contamination is caused by hundreds of inorganic and organic contaminants, some of which are highly persistent and toxic. These contaminants include pesticides, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, wastes from textile processing operations and the food industry, and pharmaceutical residues. Many strategies for removing contaminants from wastewater have been proven to be effective, including adsorption, chemical precipitation, ion exchange, conventional coagulation, electrodialysis, electrolysis, and reverse osmosis. Membrane technology is a prominent alternative among these techniques since it is versatile, efficient, inexpensive, low energy intensive, and simple to use. This chapter is designed to provide a better understanding of the various functional nanomaterials and polymeric nanocomposites employed in wastewater treatment.
