Innovative technologies enable businesses to stay competitive in marketplace while also increasing profits in manufacturing of nanocomposites for water treatment. Aforementioned driving factors resulted in adoption of a number of innovative technologies, and no other trend has had a greater impact in recent years than Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 is a comprehensive term that encompasses data management, manufacturing competitiveness, manufacturing processes, and efficiency. The term “Industry 4.0” refers to a group of key enabler technologies, such as cyber physical models, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data analytics, including embedded devices which are all significant components to the mechanized and digitized industrial environments. AI approaches have been used for water treatment processes as well as desalination in recent years for optimizing the process along with providing realistic answers to water scarcity and water pollution‐related issues. AI applications have been used to predict and minimize water treatment process operational costs by lowering costs and optimizing chemical utilization. Several AI models are successful and accurate in predicting effectiveness of various adsorbents used in the removal process of a variety of contaminants from water. To identify the current level of research and future development prospects of smart manufacturing, this study uses a comprehensive literature review technique for manufacturing sustainability of nanocomposite fabrication for water treatment applications. The model provided will help to create a baseline for AI and hybrid models in the water treatment and wastewater management sectors, allowing for the increased performance and innovative growth. It will serve to provide the framework and give guidance for researchers interested in creating superior nanocomposites for waste and fresh water treatment and management using Industry 4.0. This study looks at a variety of AI approaches as well as how they may be used in water treatment, with an emphasis on pollutant adsorption. This assessment also identified certain obstacles and research gaps in the field of AI applications in water treatment processes.

Water contamination is a significant issue in the modern day, caused by the textile dying business, and it has a detrimental impact on living organisms. We report on the manufacture of gold‐doped ZnO nanospheres using a simple heat treatment approach and the use of ZnO nanoparticles as photocatalysts for the degradation of methyl orange dye. To increase this degrading activity, Au was utilised as a modifier, and their temperature quenching effect was noticed. One of the most efficient electron grabbers in the conduction band is Au ion. The novelty of this recent research is that it has found that anatase to rutile phase transformation is promoted, and the highest transformation was achieved by using 1.0% of Au, which proves Au‐doped ZnO‐based nanoparticles are best for this degradation of dyes. The structural, morphological, optical, electrical, and photocatalytic characteristics of the synthesised nanocatalysts were determined. These nanoparticles have a grain size of 45‐75 nm. Photocatalytic activity was investigated using UV‐Vis spectra, and a significant absorption peak of about 482 nm was discovered. With increasing frequency, the dielectric constant and frequency of the produced nanoparticles drop. The kinetic analysis yields a rate constant of 0.0165 min^-1 for nanosphere‐like particles. At a concentration of 1% Au, the produced nanoparticles degrade the dye completely in 150 minutes when exposed to UV light.

Polymer nanocomposites have been of great interest to packaging, energy, molding, and transportation industries due to several favorable properties including a higher resistance to stress and cracking even under flexed conditions, and also a chemical resistance to water, acids, and alkalis. The current work disseminates the studies on the mechanical and thermal properties of the polypropylene HHR102 polymer reinforced with nano dispersoids of silicon dioxide at varied weight fractions. The nanocomposites, fabricated via melt processing followed by injection molding, were tested for tensile strength, % elongation, tensile modulus, and impact toughness. Further, the samples were also subjected to dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to determine the dynamic storage modulus and thermal stability. The addition of nano-silica in polypropylene HHR102 resulted in enhanced ductility and well-balanced tensile modulus; however, the tensile strength and impact toughness were found to be decreased. On the other hand, the storage modulus was significantly increased for all nano-silica (NS)-containing polypropylene HHR102 matrices. With the increased nano-silica content, the storage modulus was optimal. Further, with the lower weight loss of 30% and 50%, the thermal stability of the increased silica content PP nanocomposites was much affected. However, it improved at a weight loss of 30% for the lower silica content PP nanocomposite (PP-1%NS). The imbibition was found to increase with the increase in NS. The increase in imbibition is attributed to the micro-voids generated during ageing. These micro-voids act as channels for water absorption. Further, the degree of crystallinity of the nanocomposites was decreased as a result of inhibition by the nano-particles on the regular packing of polymer molecules. The structure–property correlations were explicated based on the achieved mechanical properties.