Hydrogels for Wastewater Cleaning and Water Recovery

• Published in: Multifunctional Hydrogels pp. 356 - 377
• Main Authors: Paulo-Mirasol, Sofia, Naranjo, David, Lanzalaco, Sonia, Armelin, Elaine, García-Torres, José, Torras, Juan
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom CRC Press 2024; Taylor & Francis Group
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Oil/Water Separation; Water Purification; Hydrogels; Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide); Solar water harvesting; Wastewater Treatment
• ISBN: 9781032375038; 1032375035; 9781032373409; 1032373407
• DOI: 10.1201/9781003340485-18

The anthropogenic pressure on freshwater sources is in continuous growth, which leads to difficult access to water for people and natural ecosystems at the global level. Despite a huge amount of water presence on the planet, the freshwater needed by humans has to be taken from liquid freshwater located in groundwater and surface water, which is only 0.79% of the earth's water. Humankind and natural ecosystems water access is an issue of concern, especially in those areas with overexploited and mismanaged water resources or in arid regions with little access to natural water sources. A large research effort has been invested in the last decades against water scarcity. The development of the most innovative techniques in either water cleaning or water harvesting go hand in hand with obtaining and developing new materials with more adaptable properties. Hydrogels consist of three-dimensional flexible polymeric networks that can absorb a large amount of water without dissolving and with additional properties of contaminants/salts absorption. In this chapter, the main applications for wastewater treatment and water purification, where hydrogels play an important role due to their unique properties, are presented.