Nanocomposite Water Treatment Method is Quick, Cheap and Effective

Clean water is essential for life on the planet. However, treating water is a complex challenge as industrial activity dumps pollutants, harmful bacteria, viruses, and other substances into rivers, lakes and oceans. Particularly troubling are nondegradable organic compounds like anthracene, naphthalene, and pyrene, all aromatic compounds used in energy facilities like oil refineries. They accumulate in sediments and are highly toxic, carcinogenic, and environmentally hazardous.

There are several ways to treat wastewater for irrigation, industrial processes, and other activities, including filtration, reverse osmosis, distillation, and absorption. New methods are also being developed, including the use of carbon-based nanomaterials such as graphene oxide (GO), which can remove heavy metals, organic pollutants, bacteria, and viruses.

Abbasia et al. proposed a nanocomposite that combines GO with magnetic chitosan (CS), derived from the natural biopolymer chitin. Inexpensive, biodegradable, and reusable, CS can remove microorganisms, heavy metals, phenols, and aromatic hydrocarbons from water sources. In tests, the nanocomposite showed promise in treatment applications for anthracene and possibly other emerging and persistent organic pollutants.

“We observed a very fast removal rate of as much as 89% anthracene within 60 minutes,” said author Salimeh Kimiagar. “A significant adsorption capacity was also achieved.”

After using the hydrothermal method to synthesize three nanocomposite samples, the researchers characterized them via X-ray diffraction analysis and studied their capability to eliminate anthracene from water. Following testing, the researchers removed the samples from the aqueous solution with a magnetic field.

They believe their work can help inform both existing and new water treatment techniques — and may be especially applicable, and more cost-effective, for treating highly polluted water.

Source: “Magnetic chitosan/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites: Hydrothermal synthesis, structural analysis, and application in anthracene removal,” by Marjan Abbasi, Salimeh Kimiagar, and Fahimeh Abrinaei, AIP Advances (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0245293 .