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Catalysts
Special Issues
Applications and Challenges of Photocatalytic Treatment of Organic Pollutants in...
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Applications and Challenges of Photocatalytic Treatment of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Photocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2026 | Viewed by 2043

Editors

Dr. Peng Gao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: photocatalysis; emerging pollutants; carbon materials; visible-light-driven; artificial photosynthesis; photocatalytic equipment
Dr. Khalid Umar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang 11800, Malaysia
Interests: green synthesis of hybrid nano-materials/polymers, characterization and their potential applications; photocatalysis, adsorption studies and microbial fuel technology for the removal of priority pollutants; wastewater treatment using synthesized graphene and metal oxide-based composite materials; degradation of organic pollutants (present in wastewater), identification and characterization of intermediate products formed during the photooxidation process
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Chao-Yang Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: metal–organic frameworks; photocatalysis; fluorescence sensing; light-response adsorption/desorption; emerging pollutants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Photocatalysis highlights groundbreaking advances in catalytic science that support the transition to environmental sustainability. Firstly, topics include visible-light-driven photocatalysis—such as photocatalysts for emerging pollutants degradation, reaction kinetics and DFT calculation—and innovations in materials design. Special attention is given to the mechanism of photocatalytic processes for pollutant removal in wastewater. Furthermore, through the operando characterization and thorough understanding of the reactive sites, the rational design and practical application of equipment will be facilitated further.

By linking fundamental catalyst design, advanced characterization, and system-level integration, this Special Issue provides a comprehensive platform to explore how catalysis drives innovations at the intersection of carbon neutrality and environmental protection.

We welcome submissions on catalyst design, integration with photocatalytic equipment for mechanistic insights, and AI-assisted approaches to catalytic discovery.

Dr. Peng Gao
Dr. Khalid Umar
Dr. Chao-Yang Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • photocatalysis
  • emerging pollutants
  • carbon materials
  • visible-light-driven
  • artificial photosynthesis
  • photocatalytic equipment

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 6326 KB  
Article
Plasma Exposure Time of Biogenic ZnO: A Critical Control Variable in ZnO/Ag Photoelectrodes for the Transformation of Chromophoric Contaminants in Real Industrial Wastewater
by C. K. Zagal Padilla, Angelica Julieta Alvillo-Rivera, Rocío Nava, Virginia Gómez-Vidales, R. Suárez-Parra, Sergio A. Gamboa, J. Zamora and H. Martínez
Catalysts 2026, 16(7), 575; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16070575 - 23 Jun 2026
Viewed by 350
Abstract
A biogenic ZnO/Ag photoelectrode treated with atmospheric-pressure plasma was evaluated as an anode in a photo-assisted electroflotation system for the transformation of chromophoric pollutants in real industrial wastewater. ZnO was synthesized from Azadirachta indica leaf extract and plasma-treated for 10 min (M2) and [...] Read more.
A biogenic ZnO/Ag photoelectrode treated with atmospheric-pressure plasma was evaluated as an anode in a photo-assisted electroflotation system for the transformation of chromophoric pollutants in real industrial wastewater. ZnO was synthesized from Azadirachta indica leaf extract and plasma-treated for 10 min (M2) and 15 min (M3), with an untreated reference (M1). XRD, SEM-EDS, Raman, FTIR, EPR, and XPS analyses showed that the plasma preserved the wurtzite structure, relaxed the bulk, and modified the surface by removing residues, deoxygenating it, and activating oxygen vacancies (VO). Although M3 reached the highest deoxygenation, M2 showed the most favorable response; thus, the performance did not depend only on the total amount of VO. Under dark conditions, M2 showed a 14.86 percent decrease in COD compared to the control in a single batch and had the most negative ORP value. However, only ORP came close to statistical significance after multiplicity correction, with padj = 0.055. Under illumination, it showed the strongest photoinduced changes in conductivity and total suspended solids. The light–dark differences (ΔL−O) showed sign reversals in COD, conductivity, and pH, which identified three functional regimes and indicated that the electronic coupling of the surface VO, rather than its amount, controlled the performance. ΔL−O was proposed as an operational test to distinguish these regimes, with the plasma exposure time as a key control variable. Because the effluent responses were single determinations, they are considered exploratory; the mechanism is primarily based on structural and spectroscopic characterization and supported by photoelectrochemical tests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications and Challenges of Photocatalytic Treatment of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater)
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26 pages, 7769 KB  
Article
Durable Sulfur-Doped g-C3N4 Catalysts with High Performance for Rapid Rhodamine B Degradation in Organic Wastewater
by Hongbo Liu, Xiaoman Lai, Xinyuan Peng, Jie Huang, Wenbo Tong, Yuhua Chi and Zhiyong Huang
Catalysts 2026, 16(4), 316; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16040316 - 1 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1249
Abstract
To overcome the inherent limitations of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), specifically the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and its confined light absorption range, a sulfur-doped g-C3N4 (S-g-C3N4) photocatalyst was developed in [...] Read more.
To overcome the inherent limitations of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), specifically the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and its confined light absorption range, a sulfur-doped g-C3N4 (S-g-C3N4) photocatalyst was developed in this work. The photocatalytic performance and its catalytic mechanism for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation were systematically investigated. Material characterization and performance tests revealed that S doping can narrow the band gap of g-C3N4 and effectively enhance the separation and transport efficiency of charge carriers. The as-prepared catalyst demonstrated excellent activity under simulated sunlight, achieving nearly complete degradation of 10 mg/L RhB within 15 min. Moreover, it exhibited robust stability across a pH range of 6 to 11 and in the presence of coexisting anions (Cl−, NO3−, CO32−), with negligible activity loss after five consecutive cycles. Radical trapping experiments verified that ∙OH radicals served as the primary active species, with h+ playing a secondary role in the degradation process. This work provides practical guidance for designing durable g-C3N4-based photocatalysts with high performance for organic wastewater treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications and Challenges of Photocatalytic Treatment of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater)
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