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Poll Res. 33 (3) : 567-571 (2014)
Copyright © EM International
ISSN 0257–8050

APPLICATION OF NANOPARTICLES IN WASTEWATER

TREATMENT
T. ESAKKIMUTHU1, D. SIVAKUMAR2 AND S. AKILA3
1,3
Department of Civil Engineering, Sathyabama University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
2
Department of Civil Engineering, Vel Tech High Tech Dr. Rangarajan Dr. Sakunthala Engineering College,
Avadi, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology is a branch of study, which deals with the molecular level re-arrangement of
atoms. This is becoming the active and advanced topic nowadays. Particles whose size lower than
100 nanometer are involved. Although the particles which have size lesser than 100 nm are
considered as nanoparticles, nowadays, people use the word nano for tiny particles. The word
nano is used in more areas in modern world, e.g., Tata nano car. Nanotechnology has its own
applications in many branches of science and engineering such as medicine, biotechnology, food
and beverages, aerospace, chemical, construction, environmental, consumer goods such as fabrics,
textiles, sports, cosmetics, military, fire protection etc. In particular, the application of
nanotechnology in the field of environmental engineering such as water treatment is wider.
Various environmental problems can be addressed and future problems can be averted by using
the various concepts in nanotechnology. Many researches are going on in the field of
nanotechnology for solving different environmental problems such as water, and wastewater
pollution. This paper mainly focuses on the various types of nanomaterials in the field of waste
water treatment and along with the future prospective.

KEY WORDS : Nanoparticles, Water Pollution, Wastewater Pollution

INTRODUCTION water sources. There are many evidences to support

Water pollution is becoming a major problem
throughout the world. Water is being polluted by
various means of sources such as textile industry,
dye house, factory, poultry etc. This polluted water
brings more health hazards to the population and
caused more social, economical problems. There are
certain numbers of ways to overcome this problem.
One of the recent technologies used in treating the
contaminated water is nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is a term used worldwide as a
token of advanced technology. This technology
mainly emphasize on the greater applications of
lighter particles, but with strong environmental
impact.
Nanotechnology holds great potential in
advancing water and wastewater treatment to
improve treatment efficiency as well as to augment
water supply through safe use of unconventional
1,3
Research Scholar, 2Professor
Corresponding author’s email: qmuthu@gmail.com
the positive effects of nanotechnology in the area of
waste water treatment. The particle used in
nanotechnology is of very lesser size say lesser than
100nm.Nanoparticles has very high absorbing,
interacting and reacting capabilities due to its small
size with high proportion of atoms at surface. It can
even be mixed with aqueous suspensions and thus
can behave as colloid (Prachi, et al., 2010). The
various methods of synthesis, applications of
nanoparticles mainly depend on the field at which it
is used. Nowadays, a new term is coined in the
modern era, which is nothing but green
nanotechnology. Green nanotechnology is aimed at
bringing the cleaner eco system since the cleaner
and healthier environment is the need of the hour.
The main objective of green nanotechnology is to;
(i) Minimize environmental risks
(ii) Minimize various health hazards
(iii) Replace existing hazardous particle with
568 ESAKKIMUTHU ET AL
nanoparticles which are of minimal unwanted
effects
One of the important factor need to be considered
in nanotechnology is larger surface area to volume
ratio. This larger surface area paves the way for
future researches in surface based sciences. Various
types of nanoparticles are discussed in the
upcoming topics.
TYPES OF NANOPARTICLES
Silver Nanoparticles
Nanomaterials and their increasing use in
manufactured products are of great concern to
wastewater treatment systems and the environment.
Silver has been equally popular for domestic use
since the ancient times (Pradeep and Anshup, 2009).
Silver vessels were utilized for the preservation of
perishable items as well as for disinfection of water.
Silver was widely used as a disinfectant and anti-
spoilage agent, across many civilizations (Greece,
Rome, Phoenicia, Macedonia). Silver nanoparticle is
one of the most important and widely used types of
nanoparticles. Nanosilver has been used for more
than 150 years in the form of colloidal silver, and has
been registered as a biocidal material in the United
States since 1954 (Kim, et al., 2010).
Silver nanoparticles are known as excellent
antimicrobial agents, and therefore they could be
used as an alternative disinfectant agent. silver
nanoparticles are increasingly used as biocides in a
wide range of products. The application of
nanoparticles in silver form varies from household
paints to artificial prosthetic device. The extensive
application of the silver nanoparticle results in their
inevitable release into the environment. On the other
hand, released silver nanoparticles could pose a
threat to naturally occurring microorganisms.
Nanosilver has become one of the most popular
nanoparticles due to its many applications and
relatively low manufacturing costs. It is currently
being used in a wide variety of commercial products
including medical applications, water purification,
antimicrobial uses, paints, coatings, food packaging.
Impregnating other materials with silver
nanoparticles is a practical way to exploit the germ
fighting properties of silver (Bogumila, et al., 2013).
Silver ions are also used into water purification
systems in hospitals, community water systems,
pools and spas. It is slowly replacing chlorine as the
widespread element of choice for filtration. Silver
also eradicates Legionnaires’ disease, which is
caused by buildup in pipes, connections and water
tanks. Research has shown that the catalytic action
of silver, in concert with oxygen, provides a
powerful sanitizer that virtually eliminates the need
for the use of corrosive chlorine.
Silver nanoparticle has adverse effect on sludge,
that impact the aerobic and anaerobic
microorganisms. Silver ions and silver nanoparticles
concentrations as low as 0.4 mg/L inhibited the
growth of nitrifying bacteria. In addition, anaerobic
microbial activity in biomass (i.e., sewage sludge)
was inhibited at silver nanoparticles concentrations
of 19 mg/L (Parthasarathi, 2009).
Nanomaterials are very much useful in the
secondary treatment of waste water by binding on
the cell surface of the microorganisms that present in
the sludge. It is believed however that the inhibitory
effect of silver is due to its sorption to negatively
charged bacterial cell walls, deactivating cellular
enzymes, disrupting membrane permeability, and
ultimately leading to cell lysis and death, also
believed that silver in the nano scale could be
therefore more reactive with its increased catalytic
properties (Michael, 2012).
Titanium Dioxide
The methods which are generally used for water
treatment such as traditional biological and physic
chemical methods, have their own advantage of
removing the toxic chemicals and substances in
waste water and has more antibacterial activity
(Parthasarathi, 2009). But all types of biodegradable
compounds are not efficiently removed these
traditional and older methods of treatment. At this
point, we have nanoparticles which act a
photocatalysts and are used for decomposition of
toxic organic compounds present in the wastewater.
One of the important nanoparticle which acts as
photocatalyst is Titanium di oxide nanoparticle.
Generally titanium oxide is available in three
different phases such as anatase, rutile and brookite.
Each of them will be in different sizes. Nowadays
Titanium dioxide is widely used for the preparation
of nanomaterials such as nanotubes, nanowires. TiO2
has the potential application for removing the toxic
compound from waste water. The nanocrystalline
titanium di oxide (NTO) is often used in
photocatalytic water treatment. The poorly
biodegradable water pollutants can be treated by
photocatalytic degradation by the use of TiO 2
nanoparticle (Dhermendra, 2008).
 APPLICATION OF NANOPARTICLES IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT
Synthesis of Titanium dioxide nanoparticles can
be achieved by
1. Hydolysis of Titanium (IV) isopropoxide or
Titanium (IV) chloride
2. Flame hydrolysis method
The hydrogen production and water purification
are the features associated with the use of titanium
di oxide nanoparticle.
These methods of degradation of pollutants
present in wastewater are done mainly by a series of
hydroxylation reactions (OH). Electron whole pairs
of NTA are produced in the nanocrystalline titanium
di oxide semiconductor photocatalyst with the
application of UV light illumination. These holes are
positively charged ones. These holes charges when
in contact with the water molecules thus form OH
and H+ ions. The electrons will act with dissolved
oxygen to produce superoxide ions (O2-). These,
then combine with water molecules to form
hydroxide ions (OH–) and peroxide radicals (OOH)
(Manoj, et al., 2012). The peroxide will then act with
H+ ions to form OH and OH-. The holes thus
oxidize OH- to OH. Thus finally the formation of
OH is facilitated, and these radicals act and help in
degradation of the pollutants in the solution.
Carbonaceous Nanoparticle
Carbon is a non-metallic element. It ranks the sixth
in the list of most abundantly available elements.
The major source of carbon is from coal deposits. It
ranks the second most abundantly element in the
human body, the first one is Oxygen.
Morphology of carbon nanoparticle is spherical
and is available in the form of black powder. Density
of carbon nanoparticle is 2.2670 g/cm3 and molar
mass is 12.01 g/mol. The main characteristic feature
of the carbonaceous nanoparticle is high capacity.
These act as selective sorbents for organic solutes in
the aqueous solutions. The history of carbonaceous
nanoparticle dates back to the pre historic times.
Fullerenes which are nanoparticle originated from
the smoke and soot of the campfire. These smokes
evolve out with some other combustion byproducts.
These can be termed as crude nanoparticle. These
crude nanoparticles are used in art. Fullerenes and
carbon nanotubes have their own applications in a
verity of fields. These are used in cosmetics, skin
rejuvenation formulas. These can also be used in
antibacterial functions. But this application of
antibacterial aspects is under research and many
more findings are being coming out. Investigations
are being conducted worldwide for its application in
569
drug delivery devices and machines.
Even though these nanoparticles are lighter, they
have their own remarkable strength as their
property. These are also used in bicycle components,
golf clubs, skis and tennis rackets. Ultra-light and
strong materials can be prepared with the use of
carbon nanotubes. These materials are used in
aircraft and cars which will be used for energy
saving and energy usage purposes. These carbon
nanotubes act as adsorbents in order to treat the
wastewater. These adsorbents act on the impurities
and toxic substances present in the wastewater.
Carbon nanotubes are used for the removal lead,
cadmium and organic pollutants from water, since
CNTs have excellent adsorption property promising
(Li, et al., 2007). The adsorption capabilities can be
greatly governed by the morphologies of the CNTs.
CNTs with poor crystallinity and morphology can
be easily introduced with much more functional
groups, interestingly leading to better adsorption
capabilities. Treatment with oxidants will be able to
promote the dispersibility of the CNTs.
Activated carbon nanoparticle is one important
type of carbon nanoparticle. The material activated
carbon nanoparticle makes it porous. This will be
used in adsorption process or chemical reactions.
Large surface area is the main characteristic feature
of activated carbon nanoparticle (Babak Kakavandi,
et al., 2013). Activated carbon nanoparticle is used in
the process of cancer treatment. Once the adsorptive
capacity has been reached, the carbon can be
regenerated and reactivated and this process of
regeneration and reactivation will determine the
economical application of activated carbon.
Regeneration is termed to mean the processes which
are used to recover the adsorptive capacity of the
carbon spent. Adsorptive capacity of about 4 to 10%
will be lost during the regeneration process. So the
processing and approach to regenerate is of prime
importance. Reactivation of granular carbon is the
process used to create the activated carbon from the
fresh material. Several types of activated carbon
contactors are used for advanced waste water
treatment. The types of contactors are pressure or
gravity types and may be downflow or upflow fixed
bed units having two or three column in series
(Metcalf, 2003).
Nanoiron Composites
Nanoparticles of iron (FE) have a greater scope of
application in the modern world. These are widely
used in the reduction technologies for groundwater
570 ESAKKIMUTHU ET AL
remediation and wastewater treatment. These iron
nanoparticle treatment in integration with other
conventional methods of treatment will ensure an
ecofriendly and energy saving approach of
treatment because of naturally occurring iron oxides
and their non-toxic and non-hazardous properties.
All described properties of FeO nanoparticles can be
even used for decomposition of pollutants contained
in the waste water, mainly for treatment of
industrial sewage. The usage of nanoiron paves the
better way of approach to treat waste water. It can
represent a significant qualitative step in the
classical technologies of water treatment including
drinking water. The extremely reactive iron
nanoparticles thus offer a possibility to solve long-
lasting problems with a high content of uranium and
arsenic in a variety of localities. They can be also
used for a reduction of the content of heavy metals,
nitrates and phosphates in the drinking water. Just
these inorganic pollutants, which are hardly or
expensively removed by standard technologies, are
effectively removed by FeO nanoparticles. The use
of zero-valent iron is an advanced area, hence more
and more researches are being carried out for proper
and efficient utilization of this element (Pradeep and
Anshup, 2009).
A lot of advancements are being expected in the
upcoming years for the application of iron
nanoparticles in the waste water treatment. Besides
significant decontamination effect, their advantage
relies on the formation of non-toxic product of
oxidation of nanoparticles (very often Fe3O4), which
is either deposited in the given locality and almost
negligibly increases the natural occurrence of iron
oxides or comes to filtration devices of cleaning
units. In order to utilize these FeO nanoparticles in
the treatment of waste water, nanoiron exhibits a
large surface area along with an extraordinary
reactivity in contact with pollutants. Thus, this
product simultaneously acts as a solid sorbent,
which may bind colloidal and solid impurities
contained in the water. Other than the waste water
treatment, nanoiron can be used as catalyst in
synthesis of hydrocarbons. It is also used in the
production of carbon nanotubes, in petrochemistry
and in the production of magnetic fluids or as an
admixture in powder metallurgy.
Gold Nanoparticles
Gold has always been the one precious material
people like best. Due to its intrinsic value, buying
the yellow metal has been seen as a good way of
securing one’s money. Big players on the market
prefer it in the form of bullion, whereas small
investors settle themselves with purchasing fine
pieces of gold jewelry. In modern times though, gold
has ceased to be merely a safe investment
opportunity or exchange currency. As a result of
extensive research and continuous development, it
has been discovered that gold can be used
successfully for scientific purposes as well.Gold
Nanoparticles have been utilized for centuries due
to the vibrant colors produced by their interaction
with visible light. Recently, these unique optical-
electronics properties have been researched and
utilized in high technology applications such as
organic photovoltaics, sensory probes, therapeutic
agents, drug delivery in biological and medical
applications, electronic conductors and catalysis
(Huifeng, et al., 2013).
Gold nanoparticles are versatile materials that
used for a wide range of applications with well
characterized electronic and physical properties. In
addition, their surface chemistry is easy to modify.
These features have made gold nanoparticles one of
the most widely used nanomaterials for academic
research and an integral component in point-of-care
medical devices and industrial products world-
wide.
This nanoparticle has been used to reduce the
pollutants in the form of heavy metals, fertilizers,
detergents, and pesticides. Gold metal has
intriguing potential to deal with the water pollution
problem, as recent research on several fronts is
advancing the concept of nanoscale gold as the basis
for cost-effective nanotechnology-based water
treatment. Nano-gold has special properties, such as
enhanced catalytic activity, visible surface plasmon
resonance color changes, and chemical stability that
make it more useful than other materials.
CONCLUSION
Industrialization, commercialization, growth in
population are the important aspects that lead to
increased contamination of water sources (Tyagi, et
al., 2013). So it is of utmost important to ensure clean
and hygienic water to the public (Tiwari, et al., 2008).
For ensuring the clean and safe water, there are
more treatments available and practiced throughout
the world. The conventional methods of treatment
have its own challenges such as environmental
hazards, economic feasibility, time spent, energy
consumption etc. To overcome these limitations,
 APPLICATION OF NANOPARTICLES IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT
there is a technology called Nanotechnology, which
has its greater extent of application in water
treatment area. Lot of researchers found the
nanoparticle as a field with greater scope in a variety
of fields. Nanoparticle based treatment ensure
ecofriendly, environmental friendly, cost-effective,
energy and time saving approaches when compared
to the traditional and conventional methods of
waste water treatment (Prachi, et al., 2010).
Few types of nanoparticles such as silver
nanoparticle, titanium di oxide nanoparticle, iron
nanoparticle, gold nanoparticle and carbonaceous
nanoparticle are discussed so far. Apart from the
above, there are other types of nanoparticles such as
dendrimers, zeolites, copper nanoparticles etc. The
choice of the type of the nanoparticle depends on the
locality, availability, feasibility, economic conditions
for the particular problem. The main advantages of
using nanoparticleas are large surface area and
hence often able to react very quickly, the best
example for this type is silver nanoparticle.
Nanoparticle has its own drawback such as its
uncertainty about the facts revealed so far, since this
topic of nanotechnology is still under research. One
research in BBC reveals in a report from 2011-12,
total market of emerging nanotechnology products
used in water treatment which includes
nanosorbents, will be around 80 million euro in
2015. Large scale of usage of nanoparticles such as
nanosorbents will be expected only in another 10
years of research.
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