CHAPTER 11. Functional Nanocomposites for Removal of Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Abstract

Contaminants of emerging concern are micropollutants, which require legislation to set their threshold concentration levels in treated water or revise their current maximum allowable levels. Since conventional techniques have been known as unsatisfactory methods to remove these contaminants, recent studies have centered on nanotechnology. Functional nanocomposites with encouraging outcomes are considered as one of the most promising applications of nanotechnology. Ever-increasing attention to applying a wide range of nanomaterials in functionalizing nanocomposites has led to incessant attempts to develop different functional nanocomposites with favorable properties. The present chapter addresses the prominent role of functional nanocomposites and their recent development for the remove of these pollutants. Emphasis has been placed on metal–organic frameworks, which have gained great attention as burgeoning materials in this field. Herein, the most recent findings of using metal–organic frameworks for preparing functional nanocomposites for removing emerging pollutants by adsorption and photocatalysis, their removal capacity, mechanism, and influencing factors are overviewed in detail.