POPs and Nanotechnology, Advantages and Disadvantages

The world is facing challenges to remove wastes from the environment. One group of these wastes is Persistent Organic Pollutants or POPs. In recent years, POPs in water and soil are the important factors which pollute the environment. The rapid growth in these pollutants that become a serious problem in human life have resulted in using new methods and developing technologies and materials such as nanotechnology and nanomaterials to reduce and eliminate them. Nanotechnology provides a powerful method for detection and treatment of organic pollutants in the environment. It is found that the photocatalytic properties of some nanomaterials such as nanoTiO2 are effective for treating POPs and successfully used to degrade organic compounds. On the other hand this effective method makes other concerns like the harmful results to environment and health of people. In general, using renewable energies and recyclable materials to decrease different types of wastes and pollutants is recommended but in current conditions nanotechnology and nanomaterials are able to control organic pollutants in the environment in spite of all the risks .Therefore, this new technology should be used with safety precautions. However, environmentally nanotechnology faces the world new challenge. This article reviews persistent organic pollutants, treatment of them by using nanotechnology and its positive and negative effects on the environment and human health.

Keywords:

Environment , Persistent Organic Pollutants(POPs) , nanotechnology , human health , toxicity