| Popis: |
The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of having the number of people without access to improved drinking water was achieved in 2010, ahead of the MDG-2015 deadline even though 748 million people still lack access. In developing countries, lack of access to safe drinking water is certainly true and particularly in rural areas. If only one barrier is possible to eliminate waterborne diseases, it has to be disinfection, unless evidence exists that chemical contaminants are more harmful than the risk from ingestion of microbial pathogens. Two criteria should therefore be considered for the selection of technologies: (1) the technology should have disinfection capability to remove microbial contaminants; and (2) the technology should be cost-effective and applicable for domestic use in rural communities. Nanotechnology has great potential for meeting both criteria. Nanotechnology applications in drinking water treatment, including the use of bimetallic nanoparticles, have been explored as alternative water disinfection tools. |
