Sustainable sludge management by removing emerging contaminants from urban wastewater using carbon nanotubes

The presence of emerging contaminants, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), pesticides, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), in water bodies is a serious problem in many countries. However, the environmental fate of emerging contaminants and their behavior is largely unknown. Urban wastewater is a predominant source of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) globally. Conventional wastewater treatment processes are not designed to remove these compounds, and they simultaneously produce a huge amount of contaminated sludge. Advanced wastewater treatment technologies, such as membrane filtration, ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), reverse osmosis (RO), ozone and catalytic oxidation, and membrane bioreactors (MBRs), could partially remove some CECs, but the high cost is a problem with their application. This chapter discusses the scope of novel materials based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and technologies in removing CECs from urban wastewater that potentially results in a sustainable sludge management practice in the water supply chain.