Carbon-based nanocomposites for the remediation of metal from wastewater

Heavy metal pollution in water is one of the major problems all over the world, as it is highly toxic and poses a great risk to human health. To address this issue, different technologies have been studied and applied for the removal of heavy metal from water. Among the numerous treatment methods, carbon nanomaterials have attracted scientific interest in recent years because of their large surface-to-area ratio, high chemical stability, inexpensive, and less impact on the environment. Carbon-based nanomaterials namely carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide membranes are very potential for separating heavy metals from water due to their large surface area, nanoscale size and they are easier to be chemically modified and recycled. In general, these carbon-based nanomaterials are hardly applied in their pure forms because of their extremely small size, rather they are more commonly found composited, either decorated with metallic nanoparticles or dispersed in polymers. In this chapter, we mainly summarize the noteworthy points regarding the health impacts of potentially toxic metals, recent advancements in synthesis and applications of carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide-based nanocomposites for the remediation of metal from wastewater. Further, the role of pH in regulating the efficiency of those nanocomposites for absorbing metal and regeneration of the nanocomposite membranes has also been discussed.