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22 Biofunctionalized Nanomaterials for Sensing and Bioremediation of Pollutants

in the intestine. Metal oxide toxicity study in rats exposed to TiO2 and SiO2 also

showed lung tissue toxicity. Animal model experiments also revealed that metal

oxide nanoparticles like TiO2 could penetrate the skin and cause dermal toxicity,

affect vital organs, deplete collagen, generate free radical, and ultimately cause

oxidative stress. In the aquatic environment, nanoparticles can enter through the

gills of aquatic organisms and affect their metabolic pathways’ vital functioning.

Scientists have also found a delay in embryo hatching and a high rate of mortality.

Furthermore, some limitations of using biofunctionalized nanoparticles include

pH, temperature, and other environmental factors that demarcate a boundary for

bioconjugate nanoparticles to be used within a specific range of parameters that do

not affect the functionality of the biomolecule in use.

22.7

Future Perspective

With the recent advancement of bioinformatics, there are plentiful resources to dis-

cover vital parameters and protocols for bioconjugation of biomaterials to nanopar-

ticles. Magnetic nanoparticles have also reduced the concern for the recovery of

nanoparticles used in water remediation. However, there is a colossal scope per-

sisting in bioinformatics that can accurately predict the life cycle of nanoparticles

based on their nature. The development of simulation software to get an insight into

probable toxicity will help researchers understand the aftereffects if nanoparticles

make their way to the living system. There is a rapid progression in this field, and

with recent innovation, bionanotechnology will be more reliable, sustainable, and

cost-effective for environmental applications.

22.8

Conclusion

The use of bionanotechnology for remediation of pollutants is the most notewor-

thy revolution in the twenty-first century. This domain fulfills the two crucial

requirements for in-field bioremediation, i.e. sensing and degradation of con-

taminants. Growing urbanization and industrialization has created a heavy

load on current pollution control strategies. The growing interest in the field

of biomolecule-conjugated nanoparticles has shown promising results through

cutting-edge innovations. Biomolecules being extremely precise and useful in

bioremediation when incorporated with nanoparticle get enriched with better

support, more efficiency to reach medium of action, efficacy, and sustainability.

Progression in innovation has significantly reduced the production cost for many

nanoparticles. Various open-source softwares with simulation functionality had led

to enhancement in understanding the dynamics of binding and can give us vital

information regarding the fabrication of bioconjugate nanoparticles for environ-

mental use. With the ease of producing nanoparticles by the bottom-up or top-down

approach, we can produce desirable surface properties parallelly during synthesis.