Advanced nanotechnology for the degradation of persistent organic pollutants

Increase in global population has intensified industrial activities, resulting in wide use of toxic substances and many such nonbiodegradable pollutants worldwide. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are synthetic toxic chemicals which remain persistent in the environment leading to biomagnification causing serious health concerns for humans and wild life. They can be found in industrial wastewater, landfills, water bodies, agricultural lands, and so on. Conventional techniques such as adsorption, electrocoagulation, thermal degradation, photocatalytic degradation, coagulation, and electrochemical remediation have been proven to tackle the pollutants having their own merits and challenges. Nanotechnology has emerged as an excellent technology in wastewater treatment. Nanomaterials have the potential to remove the harmful POPs because of its novel properties. Conventional treatment techniques in combination with nanotechnology are being explored for removal and degradation of pollutants. This chapter emphasizes the potential of advanced nanotechnology in recent times for environmental remediation.