Photocatalysis and Electrocatalysis for Water Remediation

Dear Colleagues,

Water pollution has become a critical global environmental issue, exacerbated by the widespread presence of persistent pollutants—such as organic pharmaceuticals, microplastics, perfluorinated compounds, and pesticide residues—originating from industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and domestic wastewater discharges. Conventional biological treatment methods alone are often insufficient to fully remove these refractory organic pollutants, posing a potential toxicity risk to the environment. In contrast to traditional advanced oxidation technologies, photocatalysis and electrocatalysis offer a more efficient approach by generating highly oxidative free radicals that effectively degrade these stubborn contaminants. These processes have emerged as eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives for wastewater remediation.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advancements in photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes for water remediation. We invite original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that focus on novel catalysts, innovative reaction mechanisms, and cutting-edge applications of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis in water treatment. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to (1) the development of new photocatalysts and electrocatalysts for pollutant degradation; (2) mechanistic insights into photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes for water purification; (3) hybrid catalytic systems for enhanced remediation efficiency, such as photocatalysis-membrane separation, photo-electrolysis, photocatalysis-ozone/persulfate, electrocatalysis-ultrasonic/ozone, etc.; (4) energy and environmental considerations in photocatalysis and electrocatalysis for water treatment; (5) scaling up photocatalytic and electrocatalytic technologies for real-world water treatment applications; and (6) improvements in photocatalytic and electrocatalytic technologies or the design of new reactors for water treatment.

This Special Issue will provide an interdisciplinary platform for researchers and professionals to share their latest findings and discuss future directions in the field. We welcome contributions from both fundamental and applied research to advance the state-of-the-art in water remediation through photocatalytic and electrocatalytic approaches.

Dr. Peike Cao
Dr. Haiguang Zhang
Guest Editors

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