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Water
purification is a main process of removing
undesirable materials, chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids and
gases from contaminated water. The main aim is to produce water fit for a
specific purpose. Most water is disinfected for human consumption (drinking
water), but water purification may also be designed for a variety of
other purposes, including fulfilling the requirements of medical,
pharmacological, chemical and industrial applications.
Substances that are removed during the process
include parasites (such as Giardia or Cryptosporidium), bacteria, algae,
viruses, fungi, minerals (including toxic metals such as Lead, Copper etc.),
and man-made chemical pollutants. Many contaminants can be dangerous—but
depending on the quality standards, others are removed to improve the water's
smell, taste, and appearance.
Actually there are several methods for purification
of water. Methods to remove these elements range from simple and inexpensive to
elaborate and costly. Scientist have found a new way to counter the problem of
polluted drinking water. Using nanoparticles they can remove traces of
pesticides and industrial chemicals from water supplies before it’s poured into
our glasses.
In the
area of water purification, nanotechnology offers the possibility of an
efficient removal of pollutants and germs. Today nanoparticles, nanomembrane
and nanopowder used for detection and removal of chemical and biological
substances include metals (e.g. Cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc),
nutrients (e.g. Phosphate, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite), cyanide, organics,
algae (e.g. cyanobacterial toxins) viruses, bacteria, parasites and
antibiotics. Basically four classes of nanoscale materials that are being
evaluated as functional materials for water purification e.g. metal-containing
nanoparticles, carbonaceous nanomaterials, zeolites and dendrimers. Carbon nanotubes and nanofibers are two
important materals in the last decade. Nanomaterials reveal better results than
other techniques used in water treatment because of their high surface area
(surface/volume ratio). It is suggested that these may be used in future at
large scale water purification. It is also found that the coliform bacteria
treated with ultrasonic irradiation for short time period before Ag-nanoparticle treatment at low concentration,
enhanced antibacterial effect. In future, combination of both may be the best
option for treatment of waste water.
To sum up, it is obvious
that carbon nanotube and nanofibers will be one of the most popular nanoparticles
in water purification process in near future.http://nanografi.com/blog/carbon-nanotubes-and-nanofibers-in-water-purification/
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