Applications of metallic nanomaterials for the treatment of water.

Water scarcity is not a novel issue. It has already affected almost every continent in this blue planet. It is driven by two primary sources: increasing demand for fresh water due to the increase in population and overexhaustion of the available freshwater resources. During the past decade, stress has been given to extract fresh, clean and safe potable elixir of life from the bountiful stores of sea water by exploiting various technologies. As nanomaterials are providing promising solutions to almost all our problems, they are again being accessed in order to combat the problem of global freshwater scarcity. Desalination methods have marvellously improved under the impact of nanomaterials. Different metallic nanomaterials are being used to serve this purpose; for example, silver, iron, zinc, titanium dioxide in addition to natural and synthetically derived polymeric bionanomaterials. In the present paper, a brief account of all the metallic nanomaterials which are being used for treatment of water has been provided by thorough investigation on the research done till now. It strives to throw light on various materials and methods which are based on the exploitation of nanotechnology for the treatment of water.

Evaluation of the nutrient profile of Trachyspermum ammi L. seed under the influence of nanoparticles during germination.

Trachyspermum ammi L. commonly known as Ajwain is an annual herb belonging to the family Apiaceae. It is enormously grown in Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India as well as European region. Seeds of Ajwain were highly administered by traditional healers and usually employed for different ailments. Nanomaterials are known to have plant growth promoting effects, which could find applications in agriculture. In this study, the nanoparticles (NPs) showed the potential to enhance the primary metabolites when administered during germination. Therefore, nanoparticles elicitation can be used to increase the productivity, nutritional values and metabolite contents in Trachyspermum ammi L. This study aimed to provide new insight of the potential growth promoting effects of the nanoparticles () on plant system. Different concentrations of two nanoparticles, that is, iron pyrite (FeS2) and molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) at three different concentrations of 25ug/ml, 50ug/ml and 75ug/ml were tested on the seeds of Trachyspermum ammi L. The data indicated that nanoparticles enhanced the seedling growth as greener leafs and increased lengths of epicotyl and hypocotyls were seen. These nanoparticles also showed the potential to increase the contents of primary metabolites during germination and the total soluble protein content in seed was increased in nanoparticles-treated seeds as compared to control. The total protein profiling by SDS-PAGE indicated significant differences in number and molecular weights of protein bands upon exposure to nanoparticles.