Ajay Kumar Mishra is a full Professor at the Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research Unit at College of Science, Engineering & Technology, University of South Africa, Florida Science Campus, South Africa. He received his PhD in 2007 from the University of Delhi, India. He also Adjunct Professor at Jiangsu University, China. He has authored more than 100 scientific papers and edited several books including three books on water and nanotechnology with Wiley-Scrivener. His research interests include synthesis of multifunctional nanomaterials, nanocomposites, biopolymer and/or petrochemical-based biodegradable polymers, polymers-based materials/composites, smart materials, CNT and graphene-based composite materials and water research. Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain PhD is an Adjunct Professor, Academic Advisor and Lab Director in the Department of Chemistry & Environmental Sciences at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark, New Jersey, USA. His research is focused on the applications of nanotechnology & advanced materials in environment, analytical chemistry and various industries. Dr. Hussain is the author of numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals as well as prolific author and editor of several scientific monographs and handbooks in his research areas. Shivani B. Mishra received her PhD degree in Chemistry from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India and pursued her postdoctoral research at the University of Free State, CSIR and University of Johannesburg. She is currently working as Professor at the Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research Unit, University of South Africa. Her research interests include materials science, nanotechnology and its applications. She has contributed many research articles in national and international accredited journals as well as authored several books.

• Preface xi1 Emerging Carbon-Based Nanocomposites for Remediation of Heavy Metals and Organic Pollutants from Wastewater 1Prasenjit Kar, Pratyush Jain, Raju Kumar Gupta and Kumud Malika Tripathi1.1 Introduction 21.2 Graphene Oxide 51.2.1 GO and GO-Nanocomposite for Water Remediation via Adsorption 61.3 Carbon Nanotube 151.3.1 CNTs as Adsorbent 161.4 Conclusion 19Acknowledgements 20References 202 Functional Green Carbon Nanocomposites for Heavy Metal Treatment in Water: Advance Removal Techniques and Practices 31Sandip Mandal, Sangeeta Adhikari, Pu Shengyan, Ajay Kumar Mishra and R.K Patel2.1 Introduction 322.2 Water Contamination by Heavy Metals 332.3 Functional Green Carbon Nanocomposites 342.4 Advanced Removal Techniques in Water 362.4.1 Sedimentation 362.4.2 Chemical Coagulation/Flocculation 382.4.3 Chemical Oxidation/Reduction 392.4.4 Ion-Exchange Process 402.4.5 Adsorption 422.5 Conclusion and Future Directions 48References 483 Green Nanocomposites: Advances and Applications in Environmentally Friendly Carbon Nanomaterials 55Naveen Bunekar and Tsung Yen Tsai3.1 Introduction 553.2 Nanocomposites and their Processing Methods 573.3 Structures of Carbon Materials 583.4 Polymer/Carbon-Based Nanocomposite 583.5 Removal of Chemical Contaminants 603.6 Energy Sector 633.7 Gas Sensors 643.8 Conclusion and Outlook 65Acknowledgment 65References 654 Carbon-Based Nanocomposites as Heterogeneous Catalysts for Organic Reactions in Environment Friendly Solvents 71Priyanka Choudhary, Ajay Kumar, Ashish Bahuguna and Venkata Krishnan4.1 Introduction 724.2 Carbon-Based Nanocomposites for Coupling Reactions 744.2.1 C-C Coupling 744.2.2 C-N Coupling 774.3 Carbon-Based Nanocomposites for Oxidation Reactions 804.3.1 Oxidation of Alcohols to Aldehydes/Ketones/Acids 804.3.2 Oxidation of Amines to Imines 854.3.3 Oxidation of Other Functional Groups 854.4 Carbon-Based Nanocomposites for Reduction Reactions 904.4.1 Reduction of Nitro Compounds 904.4.2 CO2 Reduction 944.4.3 Hydrogenation Reactions 974.5 Carbon-Based Nanocomposites for Other Organic Transformation Reactions 1004.5.1 Aza-Michael Addition 1004.5.2 Tandem Reaction 1084.5.3 Esterification Reaction 1084.5.4 Synthesis of Amides From Alcohols 1104.6 Conclusion and Perspectives 113References 1145 Carbon-Based Polymer Nanocomposite and Environmental Perspective 121Sukanchan Palit and Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain5.1 Introduction 1225.2 The Vision of the Study 1225.3 The Vast Scientific Doctrine of Carbon-Based Polymer Nanocomposites 1235.4 Environmental Sustainability and the Vision for the Future 1245.5 Environmental Protection, the Scientific Ingenuity, and the Visionary Future 1245.6 Recent Advances in the Field of Nanocomposites 1255.7 Recent Advances in the Field of Carbon-Based Polymer Nanocomposites and Environmental Pollution Control 1295.8 Carbon-Based Polymer Nano-Composites for Adsorbent Applications 1335.9 Carbon-Based Polymer Nano-Composites as Anti-Microbial Agents and Membranes 1355.10 Applications of Carbon Nanocomposites in Removal of Hazardous Organic Substances 1365.11 Water Purification, Groundwater Remediation, and the Future of Science 1375.12 Arsenic and Heavy Metal Groundwater Remediation and Composite Science 1385.13 Integrated Water Resource Management, Human Factor Engineering, and Nanotechnology—A Definite Vision 1385.14 Technology Management, Environmental Protection, and Water Resource Management 1395.15 Future of Nanocomposite Applications and Future Research Trends 1405.16 Conclusion, Summary, and Vast Scientific Perspectives 141References 142Important Websites for Reference 1446 Biochar-Based Adsorbents for the Removal of Organic Pollutants from Aqueous Systems 147Nhamo Chaukura, Thato M Masilompane, Willis Gwenzi and Ajay K. Mishra6.1 Introduction 1486.2 Biosorbents 1496.2.1 Raw Biomass 1506.2.2 Activated/Synthetic Biomaterials 1526.3 Biochar Production Techniques 1556.4 Application of Biosorbents for the Sequestration of Selected Organic Pollutants 1566.4.1 Sequestration of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds and Pharmaceuticals 1566.4.2 Removal of Dyes 1576.4.3 Removal of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons 1576.5 Removal Mechanisms 1636.6 Challenges Associated With Biochar Technology 1646.7 Conclusion 1646.8 Future Scenario 165References 1657 Advances in Carbon Nanomaterial-Based Green Nanocomposites 175Ambika and Pradeep Pratap Singh7.1 Introduction 1757.2 Carbon Nanomaterial-Based Green Nanocomposites 1767.2.1 CNT-Filled Green Nanocomposites 1767.2.2 Graphene and Its Derivative Filler-Based Nanocomposites 1777.2.3 Nanodiamond-Filled Green Nanocomposite 1777.3 Methods of Processing for Carbon-Based Nanocomposites 1787.3.1 Melt Intercalation 1787.3.2 Exfoliation Adsorption 1787.3.3 Emulsion Polymerization 1787.3.4 In Situ Polymerization 1787.3.5 Template Synthesis (Sol-Gel Technology) 1787.3.6 Green Methods 1797.4 Unique Properties of Carbon-Based Green Nanocomposites 1797.4.1 Size and Structure 1797.4.2 Thermal and Mechanical Properties 1807.4.3 Electrical Properties 1827.5 Applications of Carbon-Based Green Nanocomposites 1827.5.1 Wastewater Treatment 1837.5.2 Packaging and Coating 1847.5.3 Sensing and Detection 1857.5.4 As Catalyst 1867.5.5 Biomedical Applications 1877.5.6 Miscellaneous 1887.6 Future Prospects 1887.7 Conclusions 189References 1908 Removal of Trihalomethanes from Water Using Nanofiltration Membranes 203Feyisayo Victoria Adams and Peter Apata Olubambi8.1 Introduction 2048.2 Factors Influencing the Removal of THMs From Water 2048.2.1 Effects of Other Contaminants on Formation and Removal of THMs 2058.2.2 Effects of Transmembrane Pressures, Fluxes, and Feed Concentrations 2068.2.3 Effect of THMs Adsorption on Rejection 2068.2.4 Effect of Membrane Materials 2078.3 Summary and Outlook 208References 2099 Nanocomposite Materials as Electrode Materials in Microbial Fuel Cells for the Removal of Water Pollutants 213Akil Ahmad, Asma Khatoon, Mohammad Faisal Umar, Syed Zaghum Abbas and Mohd Rafatullah9.1 Introduction 2139.2 Microbial Fuel Cells: An Emerging Wastewater Treatment and Power Technology 2159.3 Pollutants Removal Using MFCs System 2159.3.1 Metal Removal Using MFCs System 2169.3.2 Organic Pollutants Using MFCs System 2249.4 Conclusion and Outlook 227Acknowledgement 228References 22810 Plasmonic Smart Nanosensors for the Determination of Environmental Pollutants 237Yeşeren Saylan, Fatma Yılmaz, Erdoğan Özgür, Ali Derazshamshir and Adil Denizli10.1 Introduction 23810.2 Principle of Plasmonic Nanosensors 23910.3 Applications of Plasmonic Nanomaterials in Sensing 24110.3.1 Recognition Molecules 24210.3.1.1 Enzymes 24210.3.1.2 Antibodies 24310.3.1.3 Aptamers 24310.3.1.4 DNAzymes 24610.3.1.5 Whole Cells 24610.3.2 Quantum Dots 24810.3.3 Gold Nanoparticles 24910.3.4 Graphene and Graphene Oxide 25310.4 Plasmonic Nanosensors 25410.4.1 Evanescent Wave Fiber Nanosensors 25410.4.2 SPR Nanosensors 25510.4.3 SERS and LSPR-Based Optical Nanosensors 26110.5 Plasmonic Nanosensors for Pollution Control and Early Warning 26410.6 Conclusion, Key Trends and Perspectives 265References 266Index 281