The Journey of Water Remediation through Biomimetic Strategies: A Mechanistic Insight

Abstract

Nature‐driven designs for water crisis have shown much interest in energy‐efficient water treatment. This review discusses four different bioinspired systems, aquaporin membranes, mussel‐inspired amine‐based membranes, supramolecular architectures, and cactus/mangrove desalination. The authors have also delineated their contributions and mechanisms toward forming water pathways for effective desalination. The discussion is mainly channelized toward constructing generic approaches based on membranes with diverse shapes and dimensions, including hierarchically structured membranes. The separation properties of these bioinspired systems stem from their chemical and physical structures imparting selectivity in the separation of ions, pollutants, etc. Further, this review covers the practical methodologies for next‐generation energy‐efficient membranes and outlines the perspectives regarding the upcoming developments in water technology.

3D Printed Materials in Water Treatment Applications

“…Desalination of water involves the separation of minerals from saline water using filtration, evaporation, and adsorption techniques . [14,67,116] Nowadays, researchers are proposing the use of sustainable energy sources such as solar and wind energy for desalination. This approach not only reduces cost but also help in CO 2 sequestration.…”

A universal approach to ‘host’ carbon nanotubes on a charge triggered ‘guest’ interpenetrating polymer network for excellent ‘green’ electromagnetic interference shielding

“…[17][18][19][20][21][22] Therefore, we adopted the technique of preparation of nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) cast PVDF membranes by incorporating dopamine in the dope solution and allowing it to polymerize over a specific period of time. 23,24 This yielded a sequential interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) membrane in which ampholytic/zwitterionic polymer polydopamine (PDA) was duly incorporated via in situ polymerization in the PVDF based IPN architecture. 18,19 Such a zwitterionic nature of PDA leads to the triggering of desirable charges not only on the membrane surface but also in the bulk of the IPN matrix upon altering the solution pH.…”

Going beyond Cellulose and Chitosan: Synthetic Biodegradable Membranes for Drinking Water, Wastewater, and Oil–Water Remediation

“…Membrane separation with a tailored pore size offers strategic elimination of a wide range of contaminants, including particulate matter, colloids, persistent recalcitrants, waterborne pathogens like bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, and viruses, and even ions and heavy metals. Different technological interventions have enabled scientific progress in desalination, heavy metal removal, pathogen removal, and electrodialysis, among others . − Different membrane processes like reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF), and microfiltration (MF) have been deployed in the past decade with some of the successful polymer materials like cellulose acetate (CA), polysulfone (PSU), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethersulfone (PESU), polyamide (PA), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). , Further, with engineered strategies incorporating biocidal and antifouling agents, such membranes’ shelf lives have also been enhanced . The key concern lies in the prolonged usage and disposal consideration after the intended end-use of these membranes.…”