Introduction

In today’s world where industries have been modernized and advanced, our
environment is filled with various types of pollutants emitted from human
activities or industrial processes. Examples of these pollutants are carbon
monoxide (CO), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), heavy metals (arsenic, chromium,
lead, cadmium, mercury and zinc), hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, organic
compounds (volatile organic compounds and dioxins), sulfur dioxide and
particulates. Human activities, such as oil, coal and gas combustion, have
significant potential to change emissions from natural sources. In addition to air
pollution, there is also water pollution caused by various factors, including waste
disposal, oil spills, and leakage of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, by-
products of industrial processes and combustion and extraction of fossil fuels.
Contaminants are mostly found mixed in the air, water and soil. Thus, we need
a technology that is able to monitor, detect and if possible, clean the contaminants
from the air, water and soil. In this context nanotechnology offers a wide range of
capabilities and technologies to improve the quality of existing environment.
Nanotechnology offers the ability to control matter at the nanoscale and create
materials that have specific properties with a specific function. Surveys from
selected European Union (EU) media show relatively high optimism with respect
to the chances/risk ratio associated with nanotechnology (Figure 1), where most of
them have been attributed to the prospect of improvement in the quality of life and
health .
Nanomaterial is very small and the ratio of surface area to volume ratio is high
so that it can be used to detect very sensitive contaminants . Nanotechnology is
also used to prevent the formation of pollutants or contaminants by applying the
material technology, industrial processes and others. Thus, three major
applications of nanotechnology in the fields of environment can be classified,
namely
(1) restoration (remediation) and purification of contaminated material
(2) pollution detection (sensing and detection)
(3) pollution prevention

1. Nanotechnology for clean water

Only 30% of all water on the Earth is not trapped in the ice or glaciers and only
0.08% of it is clean water an analogy of 1 teaspoon of water versus a 5 litre
container of water. In recent years, water has become an important issue, and it is
quite difficult to solve the associated problems. The development of
nanotechnology can be used to improve water quality. Several methods that can
use nanotechnology use reactive media for separation filtration, bioremediation
and disinfection .
Remediation is the process to remove, minimize or neutralize the water
contaminants that can damage human health or ecosystems. Remediation
technologies can be divided into three categories, namely
(1) thermal,
(2) physicochemical
(3) biological methods
Most traditional methods such as extraction, adsorption and oxidation are less
effective, expensive and time-consuming, whereas the more environmentally
friendly biological degradation is inexpensive but very time-consuming. An
advanced method that can be used is nanomaterials, with enhanced affinity,
capacity and selectivity for heavy metals and other contaminants. The advantages
of using nanomaterials are their higher reactivity, larger surface contact and
better disposal capability. There are several examples of nanopar- ticles and
nanomaterials that can be used for remediation of water, e.g. zeolites, carbon
nanotubes, self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports, biopolymers,
single-enzyme nanoparticles, nanoparticles of zero valent iron (ZVI), among
others.

Water remediation with iron nanomaterial

A common system that has been developed over the years to remediate water is
known as a ‘pump and treat’ system The system (as shown in Figure 2(a)) is
meant to pump water from the soil to the surface, to handle it and then to inject it
back into the ground. Until 1998, the pump and treat system was still used as a
way to remediate water. Another way to remediate water is by using permeable
reactive barrier (PRB). PRB cleans subsurface groundwater and remediate without
the need to bring the water to the surface (see Figure 2(b)). This treatment can be
used to clean up pollutants such as chlorinated hydrocarbons, aromatic nitro
compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides and chromate
compounds.
The PRB method (Figure 2(b)), which is expected to replace the pump and
treat method, has some disadvantages, such as its cost (it is very expensive) and
there is no definite time of replacement. Sometimes the reactivity of iron is
reduced due to the presence of impurities in the form of metal hydroxide and
metal carbonate compounds. Several alternative methods have been done to
overcome these weaknesses. In the early 1990s, it was found that some zero-
valent metals such as iron (ZVI), proposed as a filter material of PBR, can handle
or reduce dangerous contaminants in the water in large quantities . The small
particle size makes nano-iron capable of multifunctional use for remediation
purposes.
In general, ZVI is classified into two types:
(1) nanoscale ZVI (nZVI)
(2) reactive nanoscale iron product (RNIP).

They are made using the basic techniques of nanotechnology. nZVI particles
have a diameter of 100–200 nm composed of iron (Fe) with a valence of zero,
whereas RNIP particles consist of 50/50 wt% Fe and Fe3O4. Although real
application data is not yet produced, the potential appli- cation of ZVI is good.
Miehr et al. have identified that ZVI has high reactivity to a large number of
contam- inants, including Cu2+, chlorinated hydrocarbons, CrO2− and NO3−.
In addition to the use in PRB, nano-iron can also be used via direct injection into
the soil, sediment or solid waste. The trick is to mix the nanoparticles with water
to form slurry. Once injected, the particles will remain in the form of a suspension
and a treatment zone will be formed. Another way is to attach the nanoparticles
to a solid matrix such as activated carbon which has proven quite effective.
Nano-iron could be substituted with other metals. Metals such as zinc and tin
have the ability to reduce contaminants such as iron. Two metal alloys such as
iron and iron–nickel–copper have been employed to degrade trichloroethene
and trichloroethane . The commonly used metals are palladium, silver, platinum,
cobalt, copper and gold, while aluminum is used as an inert.
 2(a) pump and treat system .2 (b) permeable reactive barrier (PRB)
application made with millimeter-sized construction-grade granular iron
 Water remediation with ferritin
Ferritin is an iron-containing protein that is able of control- ling the formation of
mineralized structures. Ferritin can be found in animals and plants and its function
is to store iron. Ferritin is formed when 24 polypeptides that are structurally similar
to each other form a cage-like protein structure . Once the cage is formed, the iron
molecules can enter the cavity through the protein shell, where the mineral-
ization process transforms iron molecules into ferrihydrite nanoparticles.
Researchers have discovered the ability of ferritin to remediate toxic metals and
chlorocarbon under visible light or solar radiation . The advantages of ferritin over
ordi- nary iron catalyst are:
(1) ferritin does not react under photoreduction;
(2) it is also more stable.
One obvious application of ferritin which has been proven in the laboratory is to
change chromium Cr(VI) into Cr(III) Cr(VI) is carcinogenic pollutant that is
generally contained in the industrial waste, while Cr(III) is formed naturally as a
Cr compound, which is less poisonous and insoluble in water

Air remediation using nanosize semiconductor

photocatalyst
Some materials such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), iron (III) oxide
(Fe2O3) and tungsten oxide (WO3) may serve as photocatalysts. This
photocatalyst has many uses, including as a white pigment which gives colour to
paper and paint, ultraviolet light-absorbing material on the sunscreen, protective
antimicrobials and automatic clean- ers. In relation to the environment and water
remediation, photocatalysts are able to oxidize organic pollutants into nontoxic
materials. In general, the use of TiO2 in advanced methods of photochemical
oxidation for the remediation of water is due to its low levels of toxicity, high
photoconduc- tivity, high photostability, and that it is an easily available and
inexpensive material.
Using the principle of a semiconductor, organic molecules can be oxidized by
light. At a sufficient level of light, the charge transfer process will occur from the
valence band to the conduction band causing the surrounding substance to be
oxidized. Through the development of nan- otechnology, semiconductor
photocatalysts are modified in terms of reactivity and selectivity.
One semiconductor photocatalyst has been applied for water remediation
under the United States Environ- mental Protection Agent (US EPA) SITE
program The photocatalyst is able to remove contaminants from ground water
containing 1,1-dichloroethane, cis- 1,2-dischloroethane, 1,1,1-threechloroehtane,
xylenes and toluene. In a pilot scale, it was also found that TiO2 was capable of
eliminating benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) contents from
groundwater.
The surface of TiO2 catalysts which can be developed using nanotubes is shown
to be more effective at eliminating the material in comparison with the usual
structure of TiO2 powder [21]. In addition to the use of TiO2, which is already
commonly used in industry, ZnO photocatalysts are currently being developed as
well. As a concept, ZnO is expected to have two functions, namely to detect and
remediate contaminants. During laboratory experiments, a ZnO photocatalyst was
successfully used to detect and eliminate 4-chlorocatechol .

Water remediation using polymer nanoparticles

Polymer nanoparticles have various uses, including water treatment and
sunscreen. Using a similar principle as sur- factant micelles, polymeric
nanoparticles have amphiphilic properties, where each molecule has hydrophobic
and hydrophilic parts. When water is available, the polymer will form a polymer
cell with a diameter of several nanometres inside the hydrophobic part, while the
hydrophilic part is outside. On polymer nanoparticles, crosslink occurs prior to
the aggregation of particles so that their stability is maintained. Amphiphilic
polyurethane (APU) nanoparti- cles have good prospects as a remediation agent.
Tungitti- plakorn et al. used a polyurethane acrylate anionomer (UAA) and
poly(ethylene glycol)-modified urethane acry- late (PMUA) as the
reactant/precursor chains.
In the application, polymeric nanoparticles offer a solu- tion for commonly used
conventional surfactants to enhance remediation of hydrophobic organic
contaminants using a pump and treat system. These contaminants are usually clas-
sified into nonaqueous-phase liquid which sticks very firmly to the ground so that
it is difficult to cleanse, leading the remediation process to be less and less
effective. Therefore, a surfactant is needed to clean up these contaminants.
To date, the use of polymeric nanoparticles is still in the research phaseSeveral
things that need to be studied before these ideas are applied include material
suitability for the soil type, recovery and recycling processes of the particles.

Bioactive nanoparticles for water disinfection

Nanotechnology provides an alternative solution to clean germs in water, a
problem that has been getting worse due to the population explosion, growing
need for clean water and emergence of additional pollutants. One of the alter-
natives offered is antimicrobial nanotechnologyLi et al. stated that several
nanomaterials showed strong antimicrobial properties through diverse
mechanisms, such as
(1) photocatalytic production of reactive oxygen species that damage cell
components and viruses (e.g. TiO2, ZnO and fullerol),
(2) compromising the bacterial cell envelope (e.g. peptides, chitosan,
carboxyfullerene, CNTs, ZnO and silver nanoparticles),
(3) interruption of energy transduction (e.g. Ag and aqueous fullerene
nanoparticles)
(4) inhibition of enzyme activity and DNA synthesis (e.g. chitosan).
Among all materials, TiO2 has been proposed to be the best candidate as it is
stable in water, nontoxic when ingested and low cost.

Nanofibres and nanobiocides for water purification

Nanofibres and nanobiocides provide a possibility to improve the quality of water
filtration membranes. For membrane fouling caused by bacteria in the water
which reduce the quality of water, inhibition of these bacteria can be caused by
the surfacemodified nanofibres. Based on du Plessis result, both polyvinyl alcohol
(PVA) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibres containing silver nanoparticles
have excellent antimicrobial activity, with PVA nanofibres reducing between 91%
and 99% of bac- teria in a contaminated water sample and PAN nanofibres killing
100%. Neither PVA nor PAN nanofibres leached silver into the water, os it was
concluded that PVA is a non- toxic and biodegradable synthetic polymer and
PVA–silver nanofibres have excellent antimicrobial activity

Nanofiltration
Nanofiltration is one type of filtration that uses pressure as the driving force.
Nanofiltration membranes provide higher thrust or rejection of multivalent ions,
pesticides and heavy metals compared with conventional treatment methods.
Currently, this technology has become the newest and most leading-edge
technology in water treatment and is now available for practical use in your home,
busi- ness or manufacturing facility. Some reports have been published regarding
the performance of nanofiltration mem- brane . Depending on the requirement,
some manu- facturers offer nanofiltration membranes to target different molecules
based on their molecular weight. As an exam- ple, Dow Filmtec offers a
nanofiltration membrane with the capability to remove molecules higher than 90,
200 or 270 g/mol . This provides consumers with many options for applications.

Other nanotechnologies for water remediation

In addition to the examples which have been described above, there are several
other examples of nanotechnology applications in water remediation, among
others:
• (1)self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous silica (SAMMS);
(2)dendrimers or dendritic polymers;
(3)single nanoparticle enzyme (SEN);
(4)tunable biopolymers;
(5)nanocrystalline zeolites, etc.

2. Nanotechnology for the adsorption of toxic gases

Water remediation is not the only application for nanotech- nology: toxic gases in
the ambient air can also be cleaned by nanotechnology. An example
nanotechnology application in toxic gas cleaning is the process of CNTs and gold
particles adsorption. CNTs consist of a hexagonal arrangement of carbon atoms in
graphene sheets that surround the tube axis. There is a strong interaction between
the two benzene rings of dioxin and the surface of CNTs. In addition, dioxin
molecules interact with the entire surface of nanotubes with a porous wall, i.e. 2.9
nm, and the possibility of overlapping events that increase the adsorption potential
inside the pores. Strong oxidation resistance of CNTs has also been beneficial for
the regeneration of the adsorbent at high temperatures.
CNTs, as both single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) and multi-walled nanotubes
(MWNTs), are unique macro- molecules that have a one-dimensional structure,
thermal stability and exceptional chemical properties. These nano- materials have
shown to have good potential as superior adsorbents to remove various types of
organic and inorganic pollutants, both in air streams and in an aqueous environ-
ment. The adsorption capacity of pollutants by CNTs is mainly caused by the
pore structure and the existence of a broad spectrum of surface functional groups
of CNTs that can be achieved by modifying the chemical or thermal treat- ment to
tune the CNTs to have optimal performance for a particular purpose.
Their unique electronic properties and structures have attracted the interest of
researchers in enhancing the potential applications of SWNTs and MWNTs. For
example, SWNTs have been reported to be a chemical sensor for NO2 and NH3.
After being exposed to NO2 or NH3 gas, the electrical resistance of SWNTs was
found to change significantly, either up or down. SWNTs and MWNTs can also
be used as hydrogen storage. In addition, CNTs have been used as quantum
nanowires, electron field emitters, catalyst supports, etc.

Adsorption of dioxins
Dioxin and related compounds (e.g. polychlorinated diben- zofuran and
polychlorinated biphenyls) are stable and highly toxic pollutants. Dibenzo-p-
dioxins are a family of compounds consisting of two benzene rings which are
joined by two oxygen atoms. It has zero to eight chlorine atoms attached to the
ring. Dibenzofuran is a similar yet dif- ferent compound in which only one of the
ties between two benzene rings are bridged by oxygen. The toxicity of dioxins
varies depending on the number of chloro atoms. The diox- ins having no or a
single chloro atom are not toxic, while the dioxins having more than one chloro
atom are toxic. 2,3,7,8- Tetraklorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a compound that
is known to be carcinogenic to humans. Dioxins also affect the immune and
endocrine systems and foetal development. Dioxin compounds are mainly
generated from the com- bustion of organic compounds in waste incineration.
Dioxin compounds formed from combustion have concentrations in the range of
10–500 ng/m3. Regulations on dioxin emissions are complex and vary across
countries. Nevertheless, it is generally necessary to reduce dioxin con-centrations
to below 1 ng/m3. Two critical reviews have been published that discuss the
prevention and reduction of dioxin
Since 1991, adsorption using activated carbon has been widely adopted to
eliminate dioxins from waste incinerators in Europe and Japan. Dioxin removal
efficiency using an activated carbon adsorbent is much higher than other
adsorbents because the bond energy between dioxin and activated carbon is
higher than with other adsorbents, such as clay, γ -Al2O3 and zeolites
Owing to the extreme toxicity of dioxin, a more effi- cient adsorbent than
activated carbon is required so that the dioxin emissions can be reduced to a lower
level. In this case, Long and Yanghave found that the interaction of dioxin with
CNTs is nearly three times stronger than the interaction of dioxin with activated
carbon. Although not directly mentioned, the results showed that CNTs were
significantly better than activated carbon and γ -Al2O3 for removing dioxins. This
improvement is probably due to the nanotube curved surface compared with those
for flat sheets that gives stronger interaction forces between dioxin and CNTs
 NOx adsorption
There has been a major effort in the development of tech- nologies to eliminate
the emissions of NOx (mixture of NO and NO2) from fossil fuel combustion.
Common adsor- bent used to remove NOx at low temperatures include ion
exchange zeolites, activated carbon and FeOOH dispersed on active carbon fibre.
NO can be effectively adsorbed to activated carbon due to the reactivity of surface
functional groups, although the amount of adsorbed species is still not significant.
Long and Yang [34] found that CNTs could be used as an adsorbent for the
removal of NO. Uptake rate of NOx, SO2 and CO2 on the CNTs at room
temperature is shown in Figure 3. The amount of NOx absorption was
approximately 78 mg/g CNTs.
NOx adsorption may be related to the unique struc- tures, electronic properties
and surface functional groups of CNTs. When NO and O2 pass through CNTs, NO
is oxi- dized to NO2 and then adsorbed on the surface of nitrate species. This idea
was supported by Mochida et al. [35] who reported the oxidation of NO to NO2 at
room tempera- ture on activated carbon fibre. Compared with NO or NO2, SO2 can
also be adsorbed on CNTs, even though the adsorp- tion rate is not promising while
CO2 is much less adsorbed on CNTs.

CO2 capture
The capture and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from fossil-fuelled
power plants have received significant attention since the Kyoto Protocol came
into force on 16 February 2005. Various CO2 capture technologies including
absorption, adsorption, cryogenic, membrane and others have been investigated .
Among these technologies, the adsorption–regeneration technology has been
reconized as the most developed process. It is the process of amine-based
absorption or ammonia absorption process.
However, other technologies are currently being researched all over the world
because energy required for the absorption process is still too high. The
Intergovern- mental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that the design
of a large-scale adsorption process might be fea- sible and the development of a
new generation of material which is capable of adsorbing CO2 efficiently will
undoubtedly enhance the competitiveness of adsorptive separation in a flue gas
application Those adsorbents include activated carbon, zeolite, silica adsorbents,
SWNTs and nanoporous silica-based molecular baskets.
The chemical modification of CNTs will have a good potential to capture the
various modified CNTs. The values of qe increased after the CNT was
modified/combined with other chemical solutions, such as ethylene diamine
(EDA), polyethyleneimine (PEI) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS). The
solution contains amine groups which can react with CO2 to form carbamate in
the absence of water thus boosting the value of qe. APTS-modified CNTs
increased qe by a greater amount than the EDA- and PEI-modified CNTs. In
general, the per- formance of CO2 adsorption on modified CNTs increases with
the increase in relative humidity, however it decreases with the increase in
temperature.

Figure 3. Adsorption/desorption profile of CO2, NOx , SO2 on carbon nanotubes at

25◦C
Figure 4. The number of adsorption equilibrium qe 10% of CO2 adsorbed on raw
and modified CNTs

Removal of volatile organic compounds from air

In addition to nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, many chemicals are formed by
atmospheric reactions, such as soot , nitrous acid polyaromatic compounds and
volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Clean air regulations have become
increasingly stringent as those particles are potentially damaging to human health.
Most modern air purification systems are based on photocatalysts, adsorbents
such as activated carbon or ozonolysis. However, conventional systems are not
very good at get- ting rid of organic pollutants at room temperature. Japanese
researchers have now developed a new material that is very effective for removing
VOCs, nitrogen and sulfur oxides from air at room temperature It involves highly
porous manganese oxide with gold nanoparticles that are grown into it.
To prove the effectiveness of this catalyst, Sinha and Suzuki performed tests
using three major components of organic indoor air pollutants: acetaldehyde,
toluene and hexane. The results showed that all three pollutants in the air were very
effectively removed and degraded by this catalyst compared with the conventional
catalyst systems.
One reason for the success is porous manganese oxide which has a much larger
surface area than all previously known compounds. This large surface area causes
better adsorption of volatile molecules. In addition, the adsorbed pollutants are
decomposed effectively. Degradation on the surface is very effective because of
the presence of free radicals. The presence of gold nanoparticles helps to reduce
the barrier of radical formation that is usually very high. This process has opened
the possibility for other nano-metal components to be applied.
Isopropyl alcohol adsorption
In addition to being used as a solvent, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is often used in the
manufacture of optoelectronic devices and semiconductors. Owing to the lack of
air pollution control, IPA vapour is released into the atmosphere without any
treatment. The release of IPA vapour can cause harm to human health as it is
irritating and carcinogenic.
Hsu and Lu conducted a study of SWNTs oxidized by a solution of HNO3 and
NaClO that was used as an adsor- bent to adsorb IPA vapour. Physicochemical
properties of SWNTs were improved after being oxidized by HCl, HNO3 and
NaClO solution leading to a pore size reduction whereas the surface area of micro-
pores, the surface of functional groups and the active surface of the base
increased. Conse- quently, SWCNTs are able to adsorb more IPA vapour from the
air stream. SWNTs/NaClO had the best performance to adsorb IPA followed by
SWNTs/HNO3. Figure 5 shows the physical and chemical adsorption capacity of
IPA by the aforementioned adsorbents above.
During the adsorption process, IPA has been attracted by physical and
chemical interaction. Physical adsorption is due to van der Waals forces between
adsorbates and adsor- bent while chemical adsorption occurs due to the chemical
interaction between adsorbate molecules and adsorbent surface functional groups.
The distinction between these two processes is very useful for understanding the
factors that affect the rate of adsorption. Figure 5 shows the physical (qep) and
chemical (qec) IPA adsorption capacity of adsor- bent with IPA inlet
concentration of 500 ppmv. After the SWNTs were oxidized by HNO3 solution
and NaClO, the qep value increased from 29.5 mg/g to 42.7 and 39.5 mg/g,
respectively, and qec increased from 10.8 mg/g to 26.8 and
43.5 mg/g, respectively. The improvement in qep can be attributed to the pore
size of SWNTs which decreased to nearly the size of IPA molecules, thus
increasing the phys- ical strength of the bond between SWNTs and IPA vapour.
In addition, the increased surface area of micro-pores can increase the bond
strength. The improvement in qec could be due to an increase in the basic surface
sites. For rela- tively low inlet concentration (Cin) of IPA, the IPA vapour
adsorption mechanism on SWNTs and SWNTs/NaClO is produced mainly by
physical force, whereas for rela- tively high Cin, the IPA vapour adsorption
mechanism on SWNTs/NaClO can be generated either by physical or chemical
forces.
Figure 5. The capacity of physical and chemical adsorption of the adsorbent of IPA

Nanotechnology for pollution prevention

Prevention of pollution refers to a reduction in pollution sources and other
practices that utilize raw materials, energy, utilities and other resources
effectively in order to reduce or eliminate waste generation. Nanotechnology
offers many innovative strategies to reduce waste production in various processes
such as improving manufacturing processes, reducing hazardous chemicals,
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the use of biodegradable
plastics. The discussion below is just a few of many approaches that can be done
to reduce environ- mental pollution. Nanotechnology is actively involved in this
sector, both for producing advanced materials that have low pollution levels and
improving production efficiency in industrial processes (e.g. nanocatalysts).
Environmentally friendly materials (environmentally compliant
materials)
The application of nanotechnology is able to create an environmentally friendly
substance or material, replacing widely used toxic materials. For example, liquid
crystalline display (LCD) computer screens that are more energy efficient and less
toxic have largely replaced the screen cathode ray tubes (CRTs) which contain
many toxic materials. LCDs also do not contain lead and consume less energy
com- pared with CRT computer screens. The use of CNTs in computer screens
may further reduce the impact on the environment by eliminating toxic heavy
metals, reducing material and energy needs drastically, as well as improving
performance according to customer needs. The example of display technology
that uses CNTs is field emission displays (FEDs).
In addition, the application of nanotechnology in composite materials has the
potential to produce a material with better mechanical and other properties. This
is because nanotechnology has the ability to produce structures that are lighter
and smaller without degrading the quality of existing properties. Theadvantage
of this technology is the increased robustness, reduced system costs and whole
replacement, as well as reduced environmental impact. Examples of environ-
mentally friendly materials that can be produced using nanotechnology are:
biodegradable plastics made from polymers with a molecular structure that is easy
to decompose; nanocrystalline composite materials that are not toxic to replace
the lithium–graphite electrodes in rechargeable batteries; and glass with self-
cleaning ability. An example of a glass product with self-cleaning capa- bility
that has been made widely available in the market is ActivTM Glass, a
commercial product from Pilkington. Figure 7 describes how the self-cleaning
glass Pilkington ActivTM works.
The glass has a layer (coating) made of special TiO2 nanocrystal. When
exposed to sunlight, the glass is reacted in two ways. First, the glass decomposes
all organic molecules which are deposited on the glass surface. Sec- ond, when
exposed to rain, the flow of water will bring down the solid pollutants through
the glass surface easily. In this product, TiO2 is in the form of a thin film in the
range of 2–20 nm applied by high-temperature gas-phase deposition. The film
thickness is very important to ensure the maximum photocatalytic activity and
transparency.
The surface coating has a hydrophilic property (contact angle with water is 20◦,
smaller when compared with conventional soda glass with 40◦ of contact angle of
water). When solid pollutants are deposited on the glass surface, the contact angle
surface increases then decreases again due to irradiation. Photochemical reactions,
which require oxygen, are complex and involve a number of products between the
radicals. TiO2 is only acting as a catalyst and is not consumed during the reaction.
The reaction will result in the decomposition of organic matter into CO2.
Simultaneously, the contact angle surface is reduced further due to irradiation
(between 20◦ to 15◦). After irradiation, solid pollutants will be more easily cleaned
from the glass surface by rain. Water can be spread effectively by forming a
coating on the surface of the glass.
Figure 7. The self-cleaning mechanism of glass Pilkington ActivTM
 Textile products and antimicrobial coating
An antimicrobial coating is needed in various applications, such as protecting
surfaces and medical equipment or to reduce the attacks from microorganisms.
Conventional spray and coating methods for this purpose already exist,but
further development is needed in this area because more and more microbes are
becoming resistant to widely used antibiotic treatment. To prevent the attachment
of bacteria, the topography of the surface of nanocoating with a specific function
is shown to be important. Antifouling surface coatings have been investigated for
applications in instruments and medical equipment, household appliances and
ships. A widely used antimicrobial coating nanomaterial is silver (Ag).
The antibacterial properties of silver are due to the for- mation of Ag+ ions by
bulk metals when they are oxidized.
In fact, silverware appliances have antimicrobial activity only if the species is
oxidized at the surface. Silver ions affect the oxidative stress in the bacterial cell
wall which has an influence on the ability of bacteria to perform respi- ration.
Silver has been proven to be toxic to many types of bacteria, both gram-negative
and gram-positive, and fungi. In recent years, nanoparticles of silver (often called
nanosilver) have been added to some consumer products to provide
antimicrobial properties. The types of products are very broad, covering
household appliances, personal clothing, sports apparel, refrigerators, washing
machines, air-filtering equipment, spray disinfectant and cosmetics. Nanosilver is
included in the material and equipment through various impregnation techniques
(sprayed, painted on the surface of the product, mixed in plastic, etc.). How- ever,
broad application of nanosilver is still controversial, especially as in may have an
effect on human health

Green manufacturing
The manufacturing process is always accompanied by a wide range of waste
production which is harmful to the environment. Ideally, the manufacturing
process should be designed to minimize raw material usage, waste production and
energy consumption. Green manufacturing is a common name that widely covers
methods and technologies to achieve these goals. Green manufacturing includes
the development of industrial processes (e.g. water-based processes take
precedence over organic solvent-based processes), a reduction in the use of
hazardous substances,i.e. metals, the development of green chemicals which are
less harmful to the environment and the use of energy efficient processes.An
example of green nanotechnology is the development of micro emulsions
(aqueous) as an alternative to VOCs in the cleaning industry. Toxic and
carcinogenic compounds, such as chloroform, hexane and perchloroethylene, are
commonly used in the cleaning industry, textiles industry and oil extraction.
Micro emulsions containing nano-sized aggregates can be used as receptors for
the extraction of specific molecules at the nanoscale level. Scientists from the
University of Oklahoma have synthesized a microemulsion that becomes the
connector between water- attractive and water-repellent substances, inserted
between the head and tail of the surfactant moleculesThe result is a surfactant that
has very low interfacial tension for various oil types. In a test, the microemulsion
was able to clean textiles from oil. It was also found that the microemulsion was
very competitive to the conventional cleaning com- pounds, both in the extraction
yield and the simplicity of the process.

Risk of nanotechnology
Although nanotechnology offers a broad range of potential uses and rapid advances, this
technology may also have unintended effects on human health and the environment. Figure 1
shows the potential risk of the application of nano- materials in our daily life. Materials that are
harmless in bulk forms can become highly toxic at the nanoscale, for exam- ple, if they enter
and build up in drinking water supplies and the food chain, and do not biodegrade. The inhala-
tion of airborne nanoparticles and the impact upon lung disease is a specific concern, with
recent studies show- ing a similar response by the human body to some forms of CNTs as to
asbestos particles, if inhaled in sufficient quantities
These concerns are exacerbated by the current poor understanding of the fate and behaviour
of nanoparticles in humans and the environment. However, it is very early in the development of
this technology, and the amount of testing has been relatively limited. Currently many
international organizations, such as the Royal Commission on Environ- mental Pollution
(RCEP) and European Union are aware that laboratory tests on some nanomaterials sug- gest
that they have properties which could cause concern. The understanding of toxicity and
potential health risks associated with nanomaterials is extremely limited [60].
Nanotechnology risk assessment research for establishing the potential impacts of
nanoparticles on human health and the environment is crucial to aid in balancing the
technology’s benefits and potential unintended consequences . Scientific authorities
acknowledge this as a massive challenge, since monitoring the huge volume of diverse
nanoparticles being produced and used and their consequent impact is very difficult to track.
This strengthens our case for an increase in the amount and type of testing to assess whether
these theoretical risks are real, and to monitor their behaviour in the environment.
Conclusions
Nanotechnology has been developed to achieve the purpose of maintaining
environmental sustainability. In this case, environmental sustainability is not
limited to human environmental issues, but also human health problems. Tech-
nologies that have been developed include technologies which can enhance and
improve the conventional technological capabilities and new technologies which
replace the conventional technologies.
The water purification process using nanotechnology can use iron
nanoparticles, ferritin, polymeric nanoparticles, nanofibres, nanobiocides,
nanoenzymes and nanofiltration techniques. Despite being applied in cleaning
and water purification, nanotechnology can also be applied to clean the air from
toxic gases such as CO, VOCs and diox- ins using CNTs, gold nanoparticles and
other adsorbents. Nanoparticles and nanotubes can also be applied as a sensor for
toxic substances, particularly substances that are diffi- cult to detect with
conventional technology because they have a very small in size and
concentration.
The application of nanotechnology in the environmental field is not limited to
the conditions where environmental contamination has occurred.
Nanotechnology can also be applied to prevent the creation of pollution. Its
applications include the synthesis of green materials, coatings and biocides to
prevent the release of hazardous substances into the environment.
Although nanotechnology has many applications in the fields of environmental
technology, it needs to be studied further to assess its risk. This is in accordance
with the principle that the more sophisticated the technologies, the greater the
risks they pose.
Nanotechnology in
Water and Air pollution
Treatment

Submitted by
Sakshi Arora(18042035)
Pankaj Nagar(18042025)
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