Catalytic polymer nanocomposites for environmental remediation of wastewater

Tushar Kanti Das; Marcin Jesionek; Yasemin Çelik; Albert Poater

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165772

Catalytic polymer nanocomposites for environmental remediation of wastewater

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Nov 25:901:165772. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165772. Epub 2023 Jul 28.

Authors

Tushar Kanti Das¹, Marcin Jesionek², Yasemin Çelik³, Albert Poater⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Physics - Center for Science and Education, Silesian University of Technology, Krasińskiego 8, 40-019 Katowice, Poland. Electronic address: Tushar.Kanti.Das@polsl.pl.
² Institute of Physics - Center for Science and Education, Silesian University of Technology, Krasińskiego 8, 40-019 Katowice, Poland.
³ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Eskişehir Technical University, 26555 Eskişehir, Turkey.
⁴ Institute of Computational Chemistry and Catalysis, Department of Chemistry, University of Girona, c/Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Spain. Electronic address: albert.poater@udg.edu.

PMID: 37517738
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165772

Abstract

The removal of harmful chemicals and species from water, soil, and air is a major challenge in environmental remediation, and a wide range of materials have been studied in this regard. To identify the optimal material for particular applications, research is still ongoing. Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs), which combine the benefits of nanoparticles with polymers, an alternative to conventional materials, may open up new possibilities to overcome this difficulty. They have remarkable mechanical capabilities and compatibility due to their polymer matrix with a very high surface area to volume ratio brought about by their special physical and chemical properties, and the extremely reactive surfaces of the nanofillers. Composites also provide a viable answer to the separation and reuse problems that hinder nanoparticles in routine use. Understanding these PNCs materials in depth and using them in practical environmental applications is still in the early stages of development. The review article demonstrates a crisp introduction to the PNCs with their advantageous properties as a catalyst in environmental remediation. It also provides a comprehensive explanation of the design procedure and synthesis methods for fabricating PNCs and examines in depth the design methods, principles, and design techniques that guide proper design. Current developments in the use of polymer nanocomposites for the pollutant treatment using three commonly used catalytic processes (catalytic and redox degradation, electrocatalytic degradation, and biocatalytic degradation) are demonstrated in detail. Additionally, significant advances in research on the aforementioned catalytic process and the mechanism by which contaminants are degraded are also amply illustrated. Finally, there is a summary of the research challenges and future prospects of catalytic PNCs in environmental remediation.

Keywords: Catalytic processes; Environmental remediation; Polymer nanocomposites; Prospects; Research challenges.

Publication types

Review