Current water purification techniques using nanotechnology include:

• carbon nanotubes and alumina fibers for nanofiltration,
• zeolite filtration membranes,
• nanocatalysts and magnetic nanoparticles
• titanium oxide nanowires or palladium nanoparticles based nanosensors for contaminant detection.

Alpana Mahapatra and co-authors, D. J. Sanghvi College of Engineering, Mumbai, India, present an overview of water treatment devices incorporating nanotechnology.

They say, “The main advantages of using nanofilters, as opposed to conventional systems, are that less pressure is required to pass water across the filter, they are more efficient, and they have incredibly large surface areas and can be more easily cleaned by back-flushing compared with conventional methods.”

Potential opportunities and risks associated with this technology are also highlighted.

• Nanotechnology for water purification
  F. Valli, K. Tijoriwala, A. Mahapatra,
  Int. J. Nuclear Desalination 2010, 4 (1), 49 – 57.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJND.2010.033766