Nanofiltration in Wastewater Treatment

As pure water is considered to be the best medicine in the world, there are serious concerns about water scarcity and water pollution all over the world to find a sustainable way to treat and reuse water. Although traditional wastewater treatment methods are effective, they face problems in terms of adaptability, making them unsuitable and preventing further development. The use of membrane technology in wastewater treatment has received great attention with proven results for removing pollutants, color, and COD/BOD, as well as the reclamation of cleaning solutions. The nanofiltration technique is ahead of all other membrane technologies of wastewater treatment and has more scope for advancements. This book chapter emphasizes the nanofiltration process with more insight into nanofiltration membranes, basic principles involved, mechanism, mathematical modeling of the membrane, use of polymers, and reasons for fouling of membranes used in nanofiltration. The chapter extends its discussion with inputs on the current scenario in the implementation of this technique for surface water, groundwater, fouling control, and effective water reuse. The summary of this book chapter provides information on future aspects of the nanofiltration process, which is expected to address current and future water treatment challenges, paving the way for cleaner and safer water resources worldwide.