The present invention involves the use of nanoporous carbons derived from partially or fully demetalized metal carbides in personal protection equipment for the reversible absorption/adsorption of both broad and specific targeted gases. These materials have been specifically processed to provide enhanced effective loadings against specific harmful volatile organic compounds.

A method of removing a contaminant from water may include contacting contaminated water, including a heavy metal and/or an organic pollutant, with a nanocomposite including graphitic C.sub.3N.sub.4, V.sub.2O.sub.5, and MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 in a mass relationship to each other in a range of from 5 to 15:2 to 7:75 to 95, thereby adsorbing the heavy metal and/or the organic pollutant onto the nanocomposite, as an adsorbed material. The method may further include removing the adsorbed material from the contaminated water, thereby reducing a concentration of the heavy metal in the contaminated water by at least 2 percent by weight (wt. %), the heavy metal includes Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Ni, Ag, Zn, and/or U, and the organic pollutant includes a dye.

The present invention relates to a mass for trapping silicon compounds, comprising a porous alumina-based support and at least one metal chosen from the metals from groups VIB and VIIIB, and exhibiting a grain density of at least 1.20 g/ml, a specific surface of at least 300 m.sup.2/g and pores with a mean size of less than 6.5 nm, as determined by mercury porosimetry. The present invention also relates to a process for the preparation of said trapping mass and to a trapping process using said trapping mass.

A method of removing a contaminant from water may include contacting contaminated water, including a heavy metal and/or an organic pollutant, with a nanocomposite including graphitic C.sub.3N.sub.4, MoO.sub.3, and MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 in a mass relationship to each other in a range of from 5 to 15:2 to 7:75 to 95, thereby adsorbing the heavy metal and/or the organic pollutant onto the nanocomposite, as an adsorbed material. The method further includes removing the adsorbed material from the contaminated water, thereby reducing a concentration of the heavy metal in the contaminated water by at least 2 wt. %, the heavy metal includes Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Ni, Ag, Zn, and/or U, and the organic pollutant includes a dye.

A method of immobilizing contaminants disposed in an aqueous medium comprising contacting the aqueous medium with a particulate crystalline nanocomposite for a sufficient contact time to permit adsorption of the contaminants. The particulate crystalline nanocomposite includes: a tetragonal (CaMoO.sub.4) crystalline phase; a (CaSiO.sub.3) crystalline phase; and, a graphitic-(C.sub.3N.sub.4) crystalline phase, wherein at least a fraction of the graphitic-C.sub.3N.sub.4 is in the form of mesoporous nanosheets.