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Updated: May 11, 2026

Vegetated Treatment Systems for Removing Contaminants Associated with Surface Water Toxicity in Agriculture and Urban Runoff
Published on: May 15, 2017
Nano-enabled remediation technologies for water and agrifood sustainability: A critical review
Abdulrazak Jinadu Otaru1, Isaac Alhamdu Baba2
1Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Abstract:
The rapid industrial, urban, and agricultural development has significantly hastened the release of pollutants into water and soil matrices, creating a serious challenge for conventional treatment technology. Nanotechnology offers a novel approach to environmental remediation due to the unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials, including high surface area, surface chemistry control, and catalysis. This review critically overviews recent advances in metal, metal oxide, carbon-based, and hybrid nanomaterials for water treatment and agrifood sustainability. Emphasis is placed on adsorption, photocatalysis, redox conversion, and antimicrobial action, resulting in more efficient removal of heavy metals, pesticides, dyes, and pathogens compared to traditional processes. Multifunctionality, including pollutant detoxification, microbial deactivation, and crop growth parameter induction, is demonstrated by case studies of TiO2, ZnO, and AgNP-based systems. Green synthesis approaches, resource valorization from agro-wastes, and nanohybrid configurations are explored as pathways to cost-effective, scalable, and eco-friendly solutions. Challenges of nanoparticle recoverability, ecotoxicity, long-term accumulation in soils, and loopholes in regulation are underscored, along with opportunities in hybrid systems, field-scale demonstration, and techno-economic analyses. Collectively, this review charts the way for the application of nano-enabled treatment technologies to circular water management and precision agriculture systems, heading towards sustainable food production and ecosystem protection.
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