Municipal water treatment with special emphasis on biosorption and nanoparticles

Untreated municipal wastewater has a great impact on the ecosystem due to a large number of nutrients and organic content. As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn are common heavy metal ions present in municipal effluents. In India, more than 38,254 million liters of wastewater are produced in urban areas. The application of effluents and sludges in agricultural practices also increases the deposition of toxic metals in biological systems. With the development of nanoscience and due to the large surface area and relatively minute size, nanoparticles are successfully applied for the remediation of metal ions. Some of the commonly and effectively used nanoparticles for the metal ions removal process are discussed in this chapter.