Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
•.
Perchlorates
are.found.in.groundwater,.primarily.coming.from.military.and.indus-
trial.waste..A.surfactant.modiied.and.nano-enhanced.porous.ceramic.substrate.
was. found. to. remove. up. to. 88%. of. perchlorates. (from. 400. ppb. to. 47. ppb). from.
contaminated.groundwater.
•.
Iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulide
removal.from.groundwater.has.also.been.dem-
onstrated.in.ield.tests.utilizing.nano-manganese.oxide.and.nano-iron.
•.
Adsorption of heavy metals
. can. be. addressed. using. ferrous. and. some. other. metal.
oxides. that. sorb. heavy. metals. and. radionuclides.
8
. Sometimes,. combinations. of.
metal.and.oxides.are.needed..Deposition.of.zeolite.type.structures.in.the.pores.of.
the.ceramic.can.provide.a.“caging.process”.that.allows.a.signiicantly.high.surface.
area.without.blocking.the.pores.
5,7
21.7 Conclusion
Both.bio-.and.nanotechnology.offer.many.great.opportunities.to.address.the.critical,.global.
issue.of.supplying.clean.water..The.increased.use.of.nanomaterials.will.be.seen.in.the.com-
ing.decade.because.of.the.tremendous.performance.advantages.these.materials.offer.and.the.
affordability.of.simple,.yet.effective.ilters.and.components.that.will.incorporate.these.new.
materials..One.of.the.most.exciting.approaches.is.the.use.of.porous.ceramic.media.to.carry.
the.active.nanomaterials.and.facultative.bacteria.for.bioremediation..Proper.preparation.of.
porous.carriers.enhances.bacteria.populations.and.their.ability.to.break.down.contaminants..
Similarly,. selective. use. of. proper. nanomaterials. has. been. shown. effective. in. the. removal.
of. contaminants,. such. as. metal. ions,. like. selenium,. arsenic,. lead,. and. phosphate;. removal.
of. noxious. gases,. such. as. hydrogen. sulide;. sorption. of. hydrocarbons;. and. breakdown. or.
removal.of.some.organic.contaminants..While.ield.trials.are.needed.to.observe.the.long-
term.advantages.of.these.nanomedia.products,.the.initial.results.are.highly.encouraging.
References
.
1.. UN.World.Water.Development.Report.3..
Water in a changing world
..2009.
.
2.. “The. wars. of. the. next. century. will. be. about. water.”. Ismail. Serageldin,. vice. president. of. the.
World.Bank.
.
3.. “
Analysis of Arsenic” Water Conditioning & Puriication
..September.2006.
.
4.. Meridian.Institute.Workshop.paper..“
Global dialoque
.
on nanotechnology and the poor: opportunities
and risks.
”.Background.paper.on.water.treatment.technologies,.October.2006.
.
5.. Lisa. M.. Farmen.. Removal. of. biological. and. chemical. contaminants. from. water. with. surface.
modiied.minerals..
Ultrapure Water
,.January/February.2007.
.
6.. U.S..Department.of.Energy..
Improvements in permeable reactive barriers to remediate groundwater
contaminates by metals and radionuclides
..Report,.MSE.Technology.Applications,.1998.
.
7.. U.S..Patents.6,162,530.and.6,517,802.
.
8.. U.S..Department.of.Energy..
Surface altered zeolites as permeable barriers for in situ treatment of con-
taminated groundwater
..Contract.DE-AR21-95MC32108.
