Remediation for Heavy Metal Contamination

Abstract

In the modern era, nanotechnology plays a pivotal role in agriculture across the entire spectrum of disease management, nutrient management, food production, food processing and food supplements. However, the application of nanotechnology in the detection and decontamination of heavy metals is currently being researched, tested and in many cases, already applied. Industrialization, urbanization and an enormous increase in population lead to the rise in pollution and contamination at an alarming rate. Thus, identification of pollution, treatment and prevention is an important point in environmental protection. Nanoremediation is a cutting-edge remediation method that makes use of nanoparticles. For the breakdown and mineralization of pollutants, nanoremediation utilizes nanostructured materials such as carbon derivatives, magnetic and non-magnetic metal oxides, nano-sized bimetallic particles, polymers, nanocomposites and nanodots. In recent years, agricultural waste materials have attracted attention as sources of raw materials in the environment, and the products generated from these waste materials can also be used in different fields of agriculture. In this chapter, the recent advances in using these nanomaterials in the identification and remediation of the heavy metal-contaminated environment have been discussed.