Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
fluids. The technology is still too expensive for everyday drinking water
treatment applications, but its cost is falling.
7.4.2.4 Summary and Conclusions
Nanotechnology has led to the development of a variety of end-of-pipe
treatment technologies. CNMs have already reached the commercialization
phase. They were shown to treat water faster and more effectively than con-
ventional polycarbonate membranes, and since their cost is constantly fall-
ing, they may soon become widely used, even in developing countries. In the
context of the global water shortage problem, CNMs may deliver significant
water treatment benefits.
Some carbon-based, mesoporous oxide and zeolite membranes have
been shown to effectively remove CO
2
from industrial effluent gases. These
technologies are still tested on the bench scale, but they are expected to
deliver powerful solutions in near future, which, when applied in industry,
will reduce anthropogenic CO
2
emissions and impede the positive climate
forcing.
7.5 Conclusion
Environmental quality and human health are closely related to each other.
Controlling the concentrations of contaminants in the environment reduces
the probability that humans will be exposed to chemicals that pose hazards
to their health. Controlling pollution involves its monitoring and, if the pol-
lution is excessive, its reduction.
Novel nanoengineered technologies provide more sensitive and reliable
air and water monitoring solutions. Since they are more advanced than their
conventional counterparts, it is likely that they will replace them in the next
3 to 7 years, when the cost of their application falls and they become market
competitive. It is likely that high-quality monitored data, which nanosensors
can provide for a great range of environmental contaminants, would be of
great benefit for the evaluation of their environmental and human health
risks. The more precise risk assessment would contribute to more informed
chemical regulation policy, and it would likely invoke the review of some of
the current environmental and health programs, which might bring about
valuable reforms.
Remediation nanotechnologies are different from each other in the way
they remove contaminants from the environment. Some of them use chemi-
cal conversion mechanisms such as oxidation and reduction, while others
act as catalysts. Despite the differences, however, the effective operation of
