Hesham Mohamed Abdal-Salam Yehia^1,, Said Mahmoud Said²

Public health is facing significant challenges due to the increasing pollution of global water sources, which makes the rapid detection and treatment of a wide range of contaminants difficult. This issue is particularly critical in rural areas where centralized water treatment systems and pipe infrastructure are not always feasible. Point-of-use (POU) water supply systems represent a cost-effective and energy-efficient solution to store, treat, and monitor the quality of water. However, currently available POU systems have limited success in dealing with the emerging portfolio of contaminants, especially those present at trace concentrations. Additionally, the site-to-site variation in contaminant species and concentrations requires versatile POU systems capable of detecting and treating contaminants and providing on-demand clean water. Silica nanoparticles offer one of the potential solutions for developing rapid and sensitive water purification processes and sensors due to their strong activity and selectivity toward chemical substrates. Recently, many enzyme-nanomaterial composites have been developed that enhance enzyme stability and activity and expand their functionality. This development facilitates the application of Silica nanoparticles in advanced POU systems.

POU systems, Silica nanoparticles, Water Purification, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)