ZnO based nanoadsorbents for purification of lead contaminated water

The contamination of water sources is one of the major aftermaths of the rapidly advancing world of industrial technologies. A variety of toxins and heavy metals are contained in the residual waste products dumped by majority of the industries, out of which lead is one of the most hazardous heavy metal revealed. The elimination of lead is necessary as even minute quantities can cause drastic defects to human life as well as the environment owing to its accumulative nature. Adsorptive techniques have proved its worth in the field of water treatment many times, both environmentally and economically. An assistance in improving the adsorptive efficiencies, is a new addition that is nanoadsorbent which turned out to be highly acceptable with its large available surface area and increased number of active sites for the adsorbate ions adhesion. Out of all the options available for nanoadsorbents, Zinc Oxide proved itself to be a worthy candidate while manifesting its eco-friendly and highly regenerative nature. In this article, we will throw light on the excellent results of contaminant elimination given by the ZnO nanoadsorbents owing to its highly negative zeta potential and photo catalytic power. A further elevated efficiency is achieved by employing ZnO based nanoparticles. The zinc oxide based modifications include different metal doped ZnO, nanocomposites and structural variations like nanotubes, nanorods or microspheres.