Bioinspired Materials for Water Purification

Abstract

Water scarcity issues associated with inadequate access to clean water and sanitation is a ubiquitous problem occurring globally. Addressing future challenges will require a combination of new technological development in water purification and environmental remediation technology with suitable conservation policies. In this scenario, new bioinspired materials will play a pivotal role in the development of more efficient and environmentally friendly solutions. The role of amphiphilic self-assembly on the fabrication of new biomimetic membranes for membrane separation like reverse osmosis is emphasized. Mesoporous support materials for semiconductor growth in the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants and new carriers for immobilization of bacteria in bioreactors are used in the removal and processing of different kind of water pollutants like heavy metals. Obstacles to improve and optimize the fabrication as well as a better understanding of their performance in small-scale and pilot purification systems need to be addressed. However, it is expected that these new biomimetic materials will find their way into the current water purification technologies to improve their purification/removal performance in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.

Highly active ZnO-based biomimetic fern-like microleaves for photocatalytic water decontamination using sunlight

“…Nature offers hierarchical architectures with multilevel light scattering, high electron-diffusion length, open and accessible porosity, high surface-to-volume ratios, and high light absorption independent from incident light angle, among other important characteristics for photochemistry. It is well known that human-made materials have been unable to compete with nature in general [39][40][41][42]. It is, therefore, a smart strategy to synthesize bioinspired materials to develop more efficient and competitive materials.…”

Controversy over the Use of “Shade Covers” to Avoid Water Evaporation in Water Reservoirs

“…Design bioinspired fibres for water collection (inspired by spider silk) [20][21][22] Nanomaterials or bioinspired materials for water purification and decontamination [7,13,[23][24][25] Membranes and biomembranes to treat and re-use water from industry, waste streams and groundwaters [16,[26][27][28] Liquid-liquid extraction procedures using ionic liquids to decontaminate water.…”

“…Besides, those authors suggested to abandon subjective quantifications of human environments and to use the measurement of water scarcity to inform participatory decision-making processes that explore a wide range of options for addressing freshwater storage requirements beyond dams that include use of renewable groundwater, soil water and trading in virtual water [8,12]. Consequently, addressing future challenges will require a combination of new technological development in water storage/purification/desalinization and environmental remediation technology with suitable conservation policies [13][14][15][16]. Although desalinization remains one of the most expensive ways to produce potable water, water scarcity also forces populations to find new sources of drinking water; therefore, scientists are developing innovations that may soon make desalination a reasonable option for many more communities [15,[17][18][19].…”

Carbon-Based Oxamate Cobalt(III) Complexes as Bioenzyme Mimics for Contaminant Elimination in High Backgrounds of Complicated Constituents

“…Thousands of industrial and agriculture chemical compounds are being discharged into freshwater system without effective treatment [ 1 , 2 ]. Most toxic pollutants featured with stubborn conjugated structure appear at trace concentrations such as dyes, antibiotics and pesticides, but many of them cause pathogenic concerns due to their chemical durability and bioaccumulation [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The abundance of background inorganic or/and organic constituents make them difficult to deal with [ 1 ].…”