Nanotechnology : An Emerging Future Trend in Wastewater Treatment with its Innovative Products and Processes

Rapid population growth has evolved the big problem of limited fresh water supply in the world and the wastewater treatment is the only recycling process which can overcome this problem. Technology advancement has led us to the nanotechnology which is having tremendous scope for wastewater treatment. Nanoadsorbents, magnetic nanoparticles, nanofiltration, nano zero valent iron, nanocatalysts, nanobiocides, nanofibers and mixed technology including catalytic wet air oxidation along with nanoparticles are the products and techniques which are evolved as a result of development in nanotechnology and are being used in wastewater treatment. Other than wastewater treatment, desalination is also a significant process to convert sea water into fresh water and this process is further improved by using nanoscale to make it more efficient at large scale. In this article, several experiences with nanotechnology in combination with biological methods in the wastewater treatment are described. Along with the benefits, the potential risks of nanotechnology for the environment are also addressed in this article. KeywordsCatalyst, Desalination, Nanoadsorbents, Nanotechnology, Nano Zero Valent Iron, Wastewater Treatment.