Application of Nanofibres in Water Treatment | Chapter 8 | Modern Advances in Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences Vol. 2

One of the big challenges facing the planet today is water shortage. While 70% of the earth's surface is covered by water, the number of people with adequate access to safe drinking water is very small. Owing to the mixing of various forms of pollutants into water bodies through the release of industrial and domestic waste, the available water supplies are also becoming unsuitable for use. Currently, there is worldwide concern about the proper handling of waste water before it is released into bodies of water. Much attention has recently been paid to novel innovations, such as nanotechnology, that can be used to invent new water treatment methods. Membrane filtration is a modern technique, using a semi-permeable membrane for filtration, among various forms of water treatment methods. These techniques have some benefits over other techniques, such as chemical-free, high scalability, low operating temperature, low power consumption, etc. One of the applications of nanotechnology to enhance the membrane filtration process is nanofiltration. The commonly used technique for producing nanofiltration membranes is electrospinning. It is a cost-effective, flexible process that leads to the development of membranes with superior characteristics. Polymers, nanotubes, graphene oxide, etc. have been used to create nanofilter membranes. Combining various organic and inorganic compounds, thin-film composite (TFC) membranes are made. Other than that, the processing of nanofibrous membranes uses traditional ceramic metal oxides as well as mixed matrix materials (MMMs). While many of these manufactured nanomaterials have superior qualities that make them ideal applicants for the production of nanofilter membranes, they are all associated with disadvantages that preclude them from applying for commercial production. Therefore, in order to solve the limitations of these membranes and to produce ideal nanomaterials for water treatment, the potential challenge is to apply new techniques and materials.

Author (s) Details

Dr. K. D. K. Peshala Kumari
Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka.

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