Nano Today
Volume 1, Issue 2, May 2006, Pages 44-48
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Applications Feature
Nanotechnologies for environmental cleanup

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1748-0132(06)70048-2Get rights and content

Among the many applications of nanotechnology that have environmental implications, remediation of contaminated groundwater using nanoparticles containing zero-valent iron (nZVI) is one of the most prominent examples of a rapidly emerging technology with considerable potential benefits. There are, however, many uncertainties regarding the fundamental features of this technology, which have made it difficult to engineer applications for optimal performance or to assess the risk to human or ecological health.

Section snippets

Ex situ nanotechnology

A prominent example of a nanotechnology for contaminant remediation by adsorption is known as self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports (SAMMS)6. SAMMS are created by self-assembly of a monolayer of functionalized surfactants onto mesoporous ceramic supports, resulting in very high surface areas (∼1000 m2/g) with adsorptive properties that can be tuned to target contaminants such as mercury, chromate, arsenate, pertechnetate, and selenite. Dendritic polymers are another type of

In situ nanotechnology

In situ degradation of contaminants, when feasible, is often preferred over other approaches because it has the potential to be more cost effective. However, in situ remediation requires delivery of the treatment to the contamination and this has proven to be a major obstacle to expanded development of in situ remediation technologies. With respect to this issue, nanotechnology has special relevance because of the potential for injecting nanosized (reactive or absorptive) particles into

Morphology

Various definitions have been given for ‘nanosize’, but most invoke (or imply) the notion that there is a size regime between that of molecules and materials where particles have properties that are unique, or at least qualitatively different than those of larger particles. The most compelling examples of such properties arise only for particles smaller than ∼10 nm, where particle size approaches the length-scale of certain molecular properties20. One such example is that of quantum

Risks

The above discussion of the morphology, reactivity, and mobility of nanoparticles in the context of environmental remediation demonstrates that our current understanding of the basic processes involved in this technology is still evolving and incomplete. In addition to making it difficult to move forward with the engineering of full-scale implementations, these uncertainties make it very difficult to assess the risks that this technology might have to human or ecological health35. Specifically

Acknowledgments

We thank Donald R. Baer of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Gregory V. Lowry of Carnegie Mellon University for their thoughtful comments on this manuscript. Funding for our work in this area has come from the US Department of Energy, the Strategic and Environmental Research and Development Program, and the US Department of Education.

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