Use of iron nanomaterials for the treatment of emergent contaminants in water

M.I. LITTER

Conferencia; 2nd International Conference on Emerging Contaminants In Water And Environment; 2023

Iron-based nanomaterials are increasingly used in environmental applications. Different types of iron-based nanomaterials, namely, zerovalent iron nanoparticles, nanoparticles of iron oxides, and nanoparticles prepared from iron salts and natural extracts by green procedures, are briefly indicated in this presentation, together with their preparation, characterization, and applications in the treatment of pollutants in water, with emphasis on the works performed in the last 10 years. In terms of preparation, top-down procedures such as mechanical milling, nanolithography, laser ablation, sputtering, and thermal decomposition, and bottom-up methods such as chemical synthesis, sol-gel, spinning, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), pyrolysis, and biosynthesis are indicated for nanoparticle production. The most commonly used nanomaterials are inorganic nanoparticles based on metal and metal oxides and, among them, iron-based materials have been widely used in the removal of pollutants in water. Among pollutants, halogenated organics, nitroaromatics, pesticides, dyes, antibiotics, halogenated aromatics, phenolic compounds, PCBs, inorganic anions such as nitrate and heavy metals and metalloids (e.g., Hg, Pb, Cr, Cu, As, Ni, Zn, Cd, and Ag); radioisotopes of Ba, TcO4, and U, and antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and negative bacteria have been successfully treated. In some cases, iron-based nanoparticles have been combined with H2O2 in Fenton processes. In this presentation, examples of emergent contaminants are specially discussed. The advantages of using these materials and the need for their improvement to extend their deployment are remarked.