Removal and Remediation Techniques

*Trace Metals in the Environment - New Approaches and Recent Advances*

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**Chapter 8**

**Abstract**

**1. Introduction**

Polyaniline-Based Nanocomposites

for Environmental Remediation

*Gobeng R. Monama, Arjun Maity, Kwena D. Modibane*

*Kabelo E. Ramohlola, Mogwasha D. Makhafola,* 

 *and Lebogang M. Katata-Seru*

*Thabiso C. Maponya, Mpitloane J. Hato, Thabang R. Somo,* 

With growth in civilisation and industrialisation, there is an increase in the release of toxic heavy metal ions and dyes into water system, which is of public concern. As a result, appropriate treatment methods have to be implemented in order to mitigate and prevent water pollution. The discovery of nanotechnology has led to the development and utilisation of various nanoadsorbent for the removal of pollutants from water. PANI nanostructures and nanocomposites are noble adsorbents that have gained popularity in addressing water pollution issues and have been reported in literature. In this chapter, the main focus is on the synthesis of PANI nanocomposites and nanostructures and their application as efficient adsorbents for water treatment. Detailed discussions on different synthetic routes and characterisation have been dedicated to applications of these materials and are compared for the adsorptive removal of heavy metal ions and dyes from water.

**Keywords:** conducting polymers, polyaniline, composites, water remediation

The existence of various toxic pollutants in natural water systems originating from different activities such as textile industry, mining operation and steel manufacturing is still a global challenge [1]. Hence, it is vital to develop efficient technologies to remove these pollutants from wastewater prior release into the environment. Among several water treatment processes (coagulation, membrane filtration, chemical reduction and precipitation, reverse osmosis), adsorption technology is deemed an efficient technology to treat wastewater due to exceptional advantages such as low cost, high removal efficiency and regeneration [1]. For many years, there has been an ongoing research on the development of high affinity materials towards water pollutants, which can effectively adsorb and remove them from industrial wastewater [2]. Conducting polymers (CPs) including polypyrrole (PPy), polythiophene (PTh), polyacetylene (PA) and polyaniline (PANI) have attained great attention for water treatment, owing to their intriguing properties such as ease synthesis, tunable structure and the presence of ideal functional groups [3]. Hence, CPs have been widely applied in materials such as rechargeable batteries, chemical sensors, electrochromic devices, surface coating for corrosion protection and water treatment [4]. Among
