Degradation of hazardous organic dyes in water by nanomaterials

There is about 700,000 tonnes of dyes, of more than 10,000 types, that are used as coloring agents in industries, mainly for textile. The release of dyes in natural media is of concern due to their high persistence, toxicity and potential to the bioaccumulate in living organisms. In particular, the most commercialized and carcinogenic azo dyes, that pocess a benzidine function, needs urgent attention. Here, we review the current status of cationic and anionic dyes. We present dye removal techniques using nanoparticles through adsorption and degradation. Among dye removal techniques, adsorption was found the most efficient and cheap. For that, conventional adsorbents such as commercial activated carbon, chitosan and natural waste are often employed. We discuss the use of ZnO, TiO and Fe to remove dye pollution.