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Environmental Business Review | Thursday, March 23, 2023
Chemical fertilizers and pesticides, industrial discharges, and transformed products have all contaminated soils, and nanomaterials (NMs) have contributed to a new dimension of soil remediation.
FREMONT, CA: It is becoming increasingly evident that heavy metals (HM) are becoming increasingly prevalent in the food and water supply chains. Due to their high density and non-biodegradability, heavy metals are among the most potent and challenging environmental contaminants. Nanomaterials (NM) have been synthesized and applied in many fields during the last two decades, and bioremediation is an important application area of these materials. A nanoparticle is known to possess multiple unique properties because of its optimum size range and increased surface area, making it a preferred alternative for environmental remediation agents. Nanoadsorbents, nanocatalysts, and nanofilters are among the many effective types of nanoparticles.
It is important to note that upon entry of NMs into the system, pollutants are subject to various physicochemical processes and alterations representing abiotic mechanisms, including absorption, dissolution, adsorption, and photocatalysis.
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Remediation techniques: The treatment of acid mine drainage water includes many processes, including clarification, de-aeration, de-carbonation, sludge densification, and high-density sludge (HDS). Most of these methods do not meet sustainability standards and produce secondary waste in methane (CH4) and non-soluble metal oxides or hydroxides, which require further treatment and are, therefore, not economically viable. Proper remediation of acid mine drainage requires integrating innovative emerging techniques, such as phytoremediation and nano remediation. These techniques are among the most promising for remediating acid mine drainage water. By contrast, the latter employs NMs with diameters below 100 nanometers to reduce pollutant loads in such water. The first employs plants to treat mine drainage water contaminated with various toxic metals and pollutants. There is high public acceptance of both techniques as sustainable alternatives to eliminating emerging pollutants like heavy metals, chlorinated solvents, halogenated chemicals, and pesticides. Both of these techniques are effective in revegetating soils contaminated with heavy metals. It is also possible to improve heavy metal removal through the synergistic application of these techniques by using nanomaterials in low concentrations and incorporating plants as additional remediation agents.
Reduction: Studies show that nano-zero valent iron (nZVI) NMs effectively remove HMs and organic compounds from polluted groundwater, water, and contaminated soils. There has been a wide application of nZVI NMs in many fields. As a result of their large surface area and small sizes, nZVI particles can be indirectly contacted with contaminants, improving remediation efficiency. nZVI particles can also convert toxic contaminants into less toxic substances, such as chromium(VI) into chromium(III) and ferrous chromite, in addition to having excellent reduction and adsorption capabilities. Biochar can enhance the reduction reaction capacity of nano-zero valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI NP) and its removal efficiency by enhancing the disparity of iron particles in the soil, thus reducing the movement of the mixture in the soil.
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