Polymer-Based Membranes and Composites for Safe, Potable, and Usable Water: A Survey of Recent Advances

Abstract

In the past decades, the demand for potable and usable water has been on a continual increase, while its availability has been on an exponential decline. Studies have argued that, by 2050, only a small fraction of the world's population will have access to clean and safe water, thereby exposing a significant portion of the population to a serious water crisis. Large volumes of wastewater are generated yearly, both domestically and industrially, and the necessity to develop effective and efficient strategies and technologies to recover these wastewaters and turn them into safe and reusable waters is a momentous concern among scientists and policymakers. Across the globe, governments are developing approaches and strategies to mitigate both short-and long-term water challenges resulting from various anthropogenic activities that have contributed to the rising degradation of water quality, coupled with the attendant negative impact of natural disasters, increasing urbanization, among others. Notwithstanding, the advancements in nanotechnology have made it possible to engineer novel and innovative polymer-based materials and composites that possess desirable and even predictable properties for targeted applications, which has presented the opportunity for the development of cost-effective nanotechnologies and processes employed in water remediation, reclamation, purification, and treatment processes worldwide. Nevertheless, these innovative technologies and processes have also been shown to have their limitations and challenges in the enhancement of water quality. Herein we survey the current advancement of selected polymer-based membranes and composites and their intervention for the production of safe, potable, and usable water, as well as their limitations, challenges, recommendations, and future perspectives.

Plastic Pollution: A Perspective on Matters Arising: Challenges and Opportunities

“…Pollution is a global phenomenon, a persistent challenge that is transnational (i.e., borderless) in nature, transinstitutional in purview, and transdisciplinary in solution scope. − As indicated in Figure , pollution can arise naturally, for example, by saltwater intrusion into freshwater resources and volcanic eruptions that release dangerous gases, or it can be manmade, a result of anthropogenic activities such as the exploitation of the environment and its resources and the introduction of matter or energy into the environment that are not natural to it. − Substances or energies (e.g., material entropy) that are introduced into the environment through anthropogenic activities can upset and compromise the natural balance of the earth’s intricate and inter-related systems, causing a “domino effect”. − Pollution can also be considered as (an) unnatural disturbance(s) arising from the intrusion of energy or matter into the environment, which may result in the interruption (i.e., modification) or degradation of the natural state of a system or environment, thereby increasing the risk of the system or environment deviating from its initial state (i.e., original conditions and functions). For example, the water present in commercial petroleum products (e.g., gasoline) can be considered a pollutant because it affects the original conditions and functions of these products in motor engines.…”

Nanocellulosics: Benign, Sustainable, and Ubiquitous Biomaterials for Water Remediation

“…There is no substitute for water. It is indispensable for life and all life entails . Therefore, a discourse on water, its scarcity, conservation, management, pollution, remediation, and purification could not be more important in light of the current environmental concerns.…”

Bamboos: From Bioresource to Sustainable Materials and Chemicals

“…As shown in Figure 1, the structural design and components of lignocellulosic biomass cell walls comprise a complex mix of various systems, including cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, and other non-structural materials such as proteins [41]. These systems present chemists, materials engineers, and technologists with an assortment of derivable macro-, micro-, and nanostructured materials, including fibers, polymers, chemicals, and fuels, that are useful for modern industries (see Table 1) [39,[50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. Table 1.…”