Remediation of Wastewater Using Polymeric Materials: Flocculants and Nanofibers

The application of polymers in environmental applications has been growing attention in recent years. The remediation of wastewater is based on the removal of chemical and organic pollutants, and the polymers can either be used as membranes to filter the pollutants via adsorption mechanisms or as flocculants via flocculation mechanism and electrostatic attractions. The integration of nanotechnology has further enhanced the efficiency of polymer-based remediation strategies but there are still concerns regarding to the environmental impact of synthetic material utilisation during the polymer synthesis procedures. At this point, the use of bio-based polymers or recycling of end-of-life plastic materials are promising approaches and offer more sustainable routes. This review examines two application categories of polymeric materials in wastewater remediation and outlines the motivation behind such applications. Then, the theoretical insights into electrospinning and flocculation mechanisms are provided separately by presenting the recent examples from the literature and discussing their practical applications.