Recent Advances of Nanotechnology in Mitigating Emerging Pollutants in Water and Wastewater: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities

Availability of clean and safe freshwater has become a looming global concern. The accelerated demography, industrialization, and climate changes contaminate the meager freshwater reserves. Pollution of water bodies is significantly detrimental to health, ecology, economy, and society. The rising number of malnutrition cases, stunted growth, hepatitis, gastroenteritis, skin ailments, cholera, respiratory disorders, liver malfunction, eye infections, and mortality have been attributed to exposure to compromised water. Thus, optimized, durable, and inexpensive wastewater treatment and remediation processes are necessary. Current conventional treatment strategies suffer from several drawbacks, which may be mitigated through nanotechnological intercession, promising sustainability. Nanomaterials include nanosorbents, carbon nanotubes, nanocomposites, nanofibers, graphene, nanodendrimers, nanomembranes, and nanocatalysts. They have unique properties that make attractive alternatives for wastewater remediation, purification, and contamination detection through pollutant-specific nanosensors and detectors. This review discusses water pollution, its impacts, conventional treatment strategies, nanotechnological contributions, venture possibilities, and associated commercial opportunities.