Selective Removal of Heavy Metals from Drinking Water Using Titanium Dioxide Nanowire

Heavy metal contamination in drinking water has become an ecotoxicological hazard of prime interest. Conventional treatment technologies, such as chemical precipitation, coagulation and ion-exchange, are often restricted because of some technical or economic constraints. In view of this, the search for a more innovative and effective adsorbent for the removal of toxic metal ions has intensified in recent years. In this study a novel adsorbent, titanium dioxide nanowire (TiO2), is prepared by using hydrothermal methods and subsequently used for heavy metal removal. This study tests the potential of using the TiO2 nanowire to remove heavy metal (Pb2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Cd2+ and Zn2+) residues from contaminated water. TiO2 nanowire is an exceptional adsorbent material due to its magnetic properties and a good adsorption capacity. The highest absorption efficiency was 97.06% obtained with Pb2+ and the lowest was obtained with Zn2+ at 35.18%. The application of these materials in water filters may be a promising and economically feasible technology for water purification.