Next-Generation Nanomaterials for Environmental Remediation Applications

Environmental pollution from industrial, agricultural, and domestic sources has introduced several contaminants—heavy metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, microplastics, PFAS (so-called “forever chemicals”), and more—into water, soil, and air. Conventional remediation approaches, such as adsorption, using activated carbon, chemical oxidation, or membrane filtration are often energy-intensive, inefficient for trace contaminants, or generate secondary pollutants. Nanomaterials offer unique advantages in this context: their large surface area, tunable surface chemistry, high reactivity, and ability to catalyse reactions under light or in mild conditions make them promising candidates for more effective, selective remediation.

Recent advances in inorganic (e.g., metal oxides, boron nitride, composites), carbon-based, and nanozyme materials demonstrate high efficiency toward emerging pollutants and heavy metals, while research is also focusing more on sustainability, reusability, and reducing environmental risk of the nanomaterials themselves.

Environmental pollution continues to escalate in scale and complexity, especially with the proliferation of emerging contaminants such as PFAS, pharmaceuticals, micro/nano-plastics, pesticides, and industrial organics. Existing remediation methods (adsorption with conventional materials, chemical oxidation, activated carbon, etc.) often fall short due to issues of low efficiency at trace concentrations, high operational or energy costs, production of secondary waste, or inability to recover/remediate fully. There is also significant concern over the stability, reusability, environmental fate, and toxicity of the remediation agents themselves.

The goal of this research is to develop and validate next-generation nanomaterials that address these limitations: materials which are highly selective, stable under field conditions, easy to regenerate or recover, and low in environmental or health risk. Key aims include improving removal efficiency for both legacy and emerging pollutants; designing nanomaterials that resist aggregation, degradation, or loss of activity; reducing cost, energy, and environmental footprints in synthesis; and ensuring that lifecycle and toxicity assessments are integral to material design. Achieving this will move nanomaterials from laboratory/pilot studies to scalable, safe, and sustainable field deployment.

This Research Topic seeks contributions that explore the design, synthesis, characterization, and deployment of next-generation nanomaterials aimed at solving critical environmental remediation challenges. Specific themes of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Green, bio- or waste-based synthesis methods for nanomaterials with low environmental footprint

• Nanocomposites, nano-catalysts, nano-sorbents, nano-membranes or hybrid materials for removal or degradation of heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, PFAS, micro/nanoplastics, dyes, and emerging organic pollutants

• Mechanisms of pollutant interaction/transformation: adsorption, catalytic degradation, photocatalysis, redox processes, etc.

• Regeneration, reuse, stability, agglomeration, fate, and transport of the nanomaterials in real environments

• Pilot-scale or field studies, life-cycle and risk/toxicity assessment, scale-up challenges

• Integration into existing remediation infrastructure, or new modular remediation technologies

We welcome manuscripts of types: Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, and Perspectives demonstrating either fundamental advances or translational work toward real-world environmental remediation.