From Conventional Adsorption to Nanomaterials: Evolution in Water Treatment Technologies

Adsorption is a widely investigated technology for removing contaminants from water and wastewater. Adsorbents can be generated from a variety of sources and materials and can be tailored for specific applications. However, lower adsorption capacity, difficulty in regeneration, and slower adsorption rates are some of the drawbacks of conventional adsorbents. The rapid advancements in nanotechnology have completely transformed the water and wastewater treatment processes. Due to the unique physicochemical properties, including high surface area, tunable surface chemistry, and enhanced reactivity, nanomaterials have improved the performance of adsorption for fast and selective removal of pollutants from water. Furthermore, nanomaterials like magnetic nanoparticles offer magnetic separation (faster recovery), high adsorption capacity over multiple cycles, easy regeneration, and reuse. Through the development of hybrid nanocomposites, synergistic effects of multiple nanoparticles have also become possible.

Water and wastewater are contaminated with various pollutants, such as toxic metals, organics (hydrocarbons, BTEX), pesticides, and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) like endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), microplastics, and nanoplastics. This research topic focuses on compiling recent studies on nanomaterials for the adsorptive removal of these pollutants from water. It aims to highlight the advantages of nanomaterials over conventional adsorbents and to shed light on the approaches for developing nanomaterials, characterizing them, and exploring sustainable sources for their preparation. Specific focus will be given to the emerging pollutants such as microplastics and nano-plastics, and how nanotechnology can help in the adsorptive removal of such contaminants from water and wastewater. Moreover, this Research Topic aims to explore how current limitations in nanotechnology, such as limited data related to the long-term stability of nanomaterials, the regeneration of nanomaterials, and life-cycle assessment, can be overcome. Hence, this Research Topic will direct the future direction of research in nanotechnology for adsorption and will guide the researchers and scientists on the preparation and application of high-performing nanomaterials/nanocomposites.

The contributors across different disciplines (material science, chemistry, environmental engineering) are invited to submit. The submissions may include experimental studies and/or theoretical modelling. We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:

• Development of novel nanomaterials as adsorbents
• Scalability and real-world applications of nanomaterials in adsorption
• Comparison of conventional adsorbents with nanomaterials
• Life cycle assessment of nanomaterials in water and wastewater treatment industry
• Regeneration, reuse, and end-of-life management of nanomaterials

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Nanomaterials, Adsorption, Adsorbent, Nanocomposites, Wastewater

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.