Application of Photocatalysis in Water/Wastewater Treatment: Latest Advances and Prospects

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing demand for clean water has motivated innovations in water and wastewater treatment technologies for the remediation of recalcitrant organic contaminants. At present, most treatment technologies in water and wastewater require considerable energy and chemicals to remove emerging contaminants. It is difficult to degrade the emerging recalcitrant contaminants with high concentrations and complex structures using the traditional water/wastewater treatment technologies.

Among advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), photocatalysis technology has been extensively studied for the catalytic oxidation of organic contaminants for water purification. As a kind of green and energy-efficient protocol, photocatalysis involving the generation of various reactive oxygen species (ROS) has attracted tremendous attention owing to its potential merits, such as its low cost, environmental friendliness, availability, stability, strong photoactivity activity, and reusability, making it a versatile approach for the effective treatment of water and wastewater. Photocatalysts’ large surface area and chemical activity are essential for their incorporation into water and wastewater treatment procedures.

Although different water and wastewater treatment technologies have been investigated in recent decades, their application is limited by several factors, including the feasibility of toxicity elimination, the generation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), and the time-consuming nature of the processes. The major challenges restraining the commercialization for photocatalytic application need to be considered in real water and wastewater treatment; these include the reusability of photocatalysts, chemical stability, the low photoconversion efficiency, cost estimation associated with the UV source, the biological toxicity of photocatalysts, etc. Combining low-cost nanomaterial production with excellent selectivity and efficiency in the removal of pollution has become a focus of attention and study in this field. In addition, catalyst immobilization strategies are necessary to avoid the problems associated with catalyst recovery and agglomeration, which should be optimized in order to obtain a maximum irradiated surface area of the photocatalyst.

This Special Issue focuses on recent progress and trends in the development of engineered photocatalytic nanomaterials; advancements in their immobilization and support; photocatalytic reactor configurations; process optimization and its application in nanomaterial and reactor design; the elimination of organic pollutants including degradation byproducts from water and wastewater (domestic and industrial); and the combination of photocatalysis with other treatment technologies. Original research studies and literature reviews are encouraged and welcomed which describe the recent findings and advancements in the application of photocatalytic processes within the scope of this Special Issue, which aims to contribute novel knowledge regarding sustainable control strategies for emerging contaminants in water and wastewater via photocatalysis processes.

The sub-topics relevant to this Special Issue include but are not limited to:

• Potential applications of photocatalysts during water or wastewater treatment;
• Impacts of photocatalytic nanomaterials and nanoparticles in environmental systems;
• Need for effective photocatalysts for effluent treatment;
• Ecological risk assessment using photocatalytic technology;
• Photocatalytic process for emerging contaminant removal;
• Toxicity assessment of treated water and wastewater;
• Control and removal of emerging contaminants by hybrid processes.

Prof. Dr. Gongduan Fan
Prof. Dr. Kaiqin Xu
Dr. Banghao Du
Guest Editors

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• photocatalysis
• water purification
• reactive oxygen species
• photocatalyst immobilization and support
• photocatalytic reactor systems
• combination of photocatalysis with other treatment processes
• economics of photocatalytic processes