Nanomaterials for Air and Water Purification

With the growing demands of modern society, water and air are compromised as the concentration of contaminants increases. Conventional possibilities for purification of water and air do not exhaust the issue. Due to the reduced size of nanomaterials, their surface area is high, as well as their electronic interactions and chemical reactivity. Thereby, the properties of nanostructured materials undergo abrupt changes. This allows a variety of possibilities for the development of processes and devices that allow differentiated efficiency in air and water purification matter. Among the existing methods, three stand out with potential applications: adsorption, membranes, and photocatalysis. This chapter presents an objective review of nanotechnology and the methodologies already developed for air and water purification. However, the subject is of wide discussion and an optimization of current purification processes is necessary so that there is in fact a commercial implementation of an economically viable and safe solution.