Abstract
The rapid urbanization and industrialization have resulted in the
environmental pollution, which is the biggest challenge faced by the society.
Remediation is mainly associated with the environment. Environmental remediation is
the process of removing pollutants or contaminants from the environment such as soil,
air, and groundwater for the safeguard of human health and the environment. There are
various technologies involved in remediation such as physical remediation involving
processes like filtration, extraction, etc; chemical remediation involving chemical
reactions, photocatalysis, etc and biological remediation involving microorganisms and
plants. The use of nanomaterials for remediation is called nanoremediation.
Nanomaterials reveal better performance in environmental remediation than other
techniques used because of their high surface area and the associated high reactivity.
Different nanomaterials in various shapes, function as adsorbents, catalysts and sensors
for detection and removal of gases, contaminants and organic pollutants. This chapter
provides an overview of different kinds of remediation techniques and a detailed
discussion on different types of nanomaterials used for environmental remediation.