Nanoparticles and Nanocomposite Materials for Water Treatment: Application in Fixed Bed Column Filter

The contamination of water has become a major concern, where the source of contamination could either be geogenic or anthropogenic. The contaminants discussed here are broadly grouped as inorganic contaminants, organic contaminants, and emerging contaminants. Several nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites (NCs) materials are explored for removal of different types of contaminants in recent times. Numerous studies have reported on performance evaluation of those NPs and NCs in removing different contaminants. In this chapter, first, a comprehensive review of efficiency and suitability of different NPs and NCs in removing various organic pollutants such as As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, organic contaminants such as dyes, halogenated hydrocarbons, PAHs, etc., and emerging contaminants are discussed. Secondly, the process involved in removing contaminants in the fixed bed column filter and the performance of NPs and NCs as the filtering material in the column filter has been discussed. The parameters affecting the performance of the fixed bed column in removing the contaminants from water are also emphasized.