Graphene-Based Materials for Water Purification

Water purification is the collective name for a group of processes that make water more suitable for drinking, medical use, industrial use, and so on. A water purification process is designed to remove or reduce existing water contaminants to the point where the water is fit for use. In the last few years, innovative methods such as nanotechnology have been studied to develop water purification technologies. Graphene is a two-dimensional mesh of carbon atoms arranged in the form of a honeycomb lattice. It has earned the title, “miracle material,” thanks to a startlingly large collection of beneficial properties. It is thought that graphene could revolutionize the whole industry, as researchers work on many different kinds of graphene-based materials, each one with unique qualities and designation. The present chapter surveys and reviews the recent research and published literature on the graphene-based materials for water purification. The main methods discussed are adsorption, photocatalysis, membrane filtration, and electrochemical water purification.