Nanocellulose-Based Materials for Wastewater Treatment

There is a growing global concern that the amount of wastewater generated by human, agricultural, and industrial activities is increasing at a rate that is bound to exceed the rate of wastewater treatment by established macroscopic methods. Thus, there is an urgent need for methods using nanotechnology and nanomaterials that are abundant, easily replaceable, and relatively inexpensive. Nanocomposites comprising nanocellulose (spherical nanoparticles, nanocrystals, nanofibers, bacterial cellulose) have highly valued properties required to separate pollutants such as heavy metals, oils, microbes, dyes, and organics. These very desirable features of various nanocellulose-polymer nanocomposites are ascribed to the markedly increased surface area, high aspect ratio, general inertness of nanocelluloses, and high retention capacity of the nanocomposites. Despite the abovementioned remarkable potential of nanocellulose-polymer composites, a variety of challenges abound in the selection of the most suitable materials to combine with nanocellulose to yield the nanomaterials which will have a high propensity for several applications. This chapter will endeavor to capture the notable successes which have been achieved, thus far, in utilizing different types of nanocelluloses as nanofillers and base materials to develop composite materials for wastewater treatment. It also discusses the unique properties of nanocelluloses-based materials for wastewater treatment, how they are produced, and how these materials remove water pollutants such as microbes, heavy metals, dyes, and oils.