Green Synthesis of Nanomaterials for Advanced Water Desalination Systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59675/E124Keywords:
Green synthesis, Nanomaterials, Water desalination, Reverse osmosis, Membrane technology, Plant-mediated synthesis,Abstract
Water scarcity around the world has led to increased demands of effective and sustainable desalination processes that can transform sea water and brackish water to drinking water. Nanotechnology solutions are transformational in that the membrane performs better, the membrane is able to endure fouling better, and the membrane can remove contaminants more optimally. Nevertheless, the traditional techniques of producing nanomaterials such as the use of toxic substances, energy intensive processes and production of toxic wastes are against the concept of sustainability required to curb the water problems. Environmentally benign alternatives have been found through green synthesis methods which use environmental friendly biological agents such as plant extracts, microorganisms and biopolymers with high-performance nanomaterials made with minimal ecological footprint. In this paper the analyses will be of green synthesis techniques applicable in the fabrication of nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and nanostructured membranes that are specifically developed to serve the advanced water desalination systems. It has a critical analysis of synthesis mechanisms, techniques of characterization, as well as performance measurements such as salt rejection rates, permeate flux, antifouling properties, and stability during operation. The paper compares the use of applications of reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, membrane distillation, and nanofiltration technologies, the scale-up issue, and economic viability. This study also shows through case studies of Middle Eastern, Asian, and African desalination plants that green-synthesized nanomaterials exhibit salt rejection rates that are more than 99% with energy reduction of up to 30. The paper summarizes that green nanotechnology is a viable way forward in meeting water security by having environmentally responsible desalination plants in line with the concept of the circular economy and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
References
Iravani S. Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using plants. Green Chem. 2011;13(10):2638–2650.
Makarov VV, Love AJ, Sinitsyna OV, Makarova SS, Yaminsky IV, Taliansky ME, et al. Green nanotechnologies: synthesis of metal nanoparticles using plants. Acta Naturae. 2014;6(1):35–44.
Qu X, Alvarez PJ, Li Q. Applications of nanotechnology in water and wastewater treatment. Water Res. 2013;47(12):3931–3946.
Elimelech M, Phillip WA. The future of seawater desalination: energy, technology, and the environment. Science. 2011;333(6043):712–717.
Jhaveri JH, Murthy ZVP. A comprehensive review on anti-fouling nanocomposite membranes for pressure-driven membrane separation processes. Desalination. 2016; 379:137–154.
Safarpour M, Khataee A, Vatanpour V. Thin film nanocomposite reverse osmosis membrane modified by reduced graphene oxide/TiO₂ with improved desalination performance. J Membr Sci. 2015; 489:43–54.
Yin J, Deng B. Polymer-matrix nanocomposite membranes for water treatment. J Membr Sci. 2015; 479:256–275.
Goh PS, Lau WJ, Othman MHD, Ismail AF. Membrane fouling in desalination and its mitigation strategies. Desalination. 2018; 425:130–155.
Mittal AK, Chisti Y, Banerjee UC. Synthesis of metallic nanoparticles using plant extracts. Biotechnol Adv. 2013;31(2):346–356.
Ahmed S, Ahmad M, Swami BL, Ikram S. A review on plant extract-mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles for antimicrobial applications: a green expertise. J Adv Res. 2016;7(1):17–28.
Dauthal P, Mukhopadhyay M. Noble metal nanoparticles: plant-mediated synthesis, mechanistic aspects of synthesis, and applications. Ind Eng Chem Res. 2016;55(36):9557–9577.
Ovais M, Khalil AT, Raza A, Khan MA, Ahmad I, Islam NU, et al. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles via plant extracts: beginning a new era in cancer theranostics. Nanomedicine. 2016;11(23):3157–3177.
Thakkar KN, Mhatre SS, Parikh RY. Biological synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. Nanomedicine. 2010;6(2):257–262.
Raveendran P, Fu J, Wallen SL. Completely green synthesis and stabilization of metal nanoparticles. J Am Chem Soc. 2003;125(46):13940–13941.
Jeong BH, Hoek EM, Yan Y, Subramani A, Huang X, Hurwitz G, et al. Interfacial polymerization of thin film nanocomposites: a new concept for reverse osmosis membranes. J Membr Sci. 2007;294(1–2):1–7.
Ben-Sasson M, Lu X, Bar-Zeev E, Zodrow KR, Nejati S, Qi G, et al. In situ formation of silver nanoparticles on thin-film composite reverse osmosis membranes for biofouling mitigation. Water Res. 2014; 62:260–270.
Nair M, Ngouajio M, Biswas D. Reduced graphene oxide–silver nanoparticle composite as visible light photocatalyst for bacterial disinfection. Environ Sci Technol. 2015;49(5):2760–2768.
Pendergast MM, Hoek EM. A review of water treatment membrane nanotechnologies. Energy Environ Sci. 2011;4(6):1946–1971.
Lau WJ, Gray S, Matsuura T, Emadzadeh D, Chen JP, Ismail AF. A review on polyamide thin-film nanocomposite membranes: history, applications, challenges and approaches. Water Res. 2015; 80:306–324.
Chae HR, Lee J, Lee CH, Kim IC, Park PK. Graphene oxide-embedded thin-film composite reverse osmosis membrane with high flux, anti-biofouling, and chlorine resistance. J Membr Sci. 2015; 483:128–135.
Kwak SY, Kim SH, Kim SS. Hybrid organic/inorganic reverse osmosis membrane for bactericidal anti-fouling: preparation and characterization of TiO₂ nanoparticle self-assembled aromatic polyamide thin-film composite membrane. Environ Sci Technol. 2001;35(11):2388–2394.
Yin J, Zhu G, Deng B. Graphene oxide-enhanced polyamide thin-film nanocomposite membrane for water purification. Desalination. 2016; 379:93–101.
Wang R, Shi L, Tang CY, Chou S, Qiu C, Fane AG. Characterization of novel forward osmosis hollow fiber membranes. J Membr Sci. 2010;355(1–2):158–167.
Tijing LD, Woo YC, Choi JS, Lee S, Kim SH, Shon HK. Fouling and its control in membrane distillation: a review. J Membr Sci. 2015; 475:215–244.
Ng LY, Mohammad AW, Leo CP, Hilal N. Polymeric membranes incorporated with metal/metal oxide nanoparticles: a comprehensive review. Desalination. 2013; 308:15–33.
Qasim M, Badrelzaman M, Darwish NN, Darwish NA, Hilal N. Reverse osmosis desalination: a state-of-the-art review. Desalination. 2019; 459:59–104.
Leong S, Razmjou A, Wang K, Hapgood K, Zhang X, Wang H. TiO₂-based photocatalytic membranes: a review. J Membr Sci. 2014; 472:167–184.
Xu P, Zeng GM, Huang DL, Feng CL, Hu S, Zhao MH, et al. Use of iron oxide nanomaterials in wastewater treatment: a review. Sci Total Environ. 2012; 424:1–10.
Bano S, Mahmood A, Kim SJ, Lee KH. Graphene oxide-modified polyamide nanofiltration membrane with improved flux and antifouling properties. J Mater Chem A. 2015;3(5):2065–2071.
Lee KP, Arnot TC, Mattia D. A review of reverse osmosis membrane materials for desalination: development to date and future potential. J Membr Sci. 2011;370(1–2):1–22.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Academic International Journal of Engineering Science
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
