Protein-derived Materials for Water Purification

Abstract

Access to clean water is a fundamental right of every human. However, safe and secure drinking water is not available to everyone around the globe. Industrial wastewater is released into many freshwater bodies with nominal or without treatment. The discharged water has a very high concentration of heavy metals and dyes, which pollutes underground water streams. Most of the existing technologies for water treatment are very expensive and environmentally unfriendly, limiting their use in wastewater treatment. Bio-based materials, such as proteins, are of favorable choice because of their abundant natural availability, excellent adsorption properties, biocompatibility and non-ecotoxicity. Therefore, this chapter provides an overview of the current progress in protein-based materials for the remediation of water and wastewater contaminated with metal ions and organics.