Organo and inorgano-organo-modified clays in the remediation of aqueous solutions: An overview

The aim of this communication is to understand the different aspects and needs of the modification of micro and meso-porous clay or clay based materials in particular to its application in the environmental remediation technologies. The review is mainly focused on the remediation of contaminated/polluted aquatic environment because of recent global interest towards the underlying detriment of water quality around the globe and possible technological implications of these materials. The work presented here critically evaluated the role of organo-modified or inorgano-organo-clay or the clay based nano-materials/composites, which is perhaps an emerging area of nano-technology applied into the environmental remediation strategies. The modification of clay materials at the nano-scale perhaps received a greater interest in recent past as to employ it in several waste water treatment methods. Moreover, the organo-/or inorgano-organo-clay materials used in the development of the electrochemical sensors are exaggerates further, the applicability of these materials in the remote sensing of various pollutants present in the aquatic environment. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.