A review: Inhibition of Ag NPs on wastewater treatment

This review summarizes and evaluates the present knowledge of the inhibition effect of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on pollutants removal, activated sludge performance. The fate and behavior of Ag NPs in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are also mentioned. Rapid progress in this area has been made over the last few years, but there are still some blanks in studies. Although some researches have been carried out on the inhibitory of Ag NPs on pollutants removal such as COD and nitrogen removal, most of them focus on microorganisms rather than treatment system. Few articles referred to impact of Ag NPs on phosphorus removal. Mechanisms of Ag NPs inhibition are still poorly understood although it seems clear that in some cases. As a well performance microcosmic ecosystem, the status of fungus, protozoa, and metazoan are also very important for activated sludge. However, little is known about the impact of Ag NPs on them. This review concludes with a set of recommendations for the advancement of understanding of the role of Ag NPs in WWTPs.