Preparation, Characterization and Photocatalytic Degradation of the Sulfate Oxidants for Water Treatment

Dear Colleagues,

Persistent environmental pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, endocrine-disrupting compounds, pesticides, dyes, and various industrial chemicals, increasingly threaten ecosystems and public health. Conventional wastewater treatments frequently fall short of efficiently removing these contaminants, prompting the need for novel, robust, and sustainable remediation technologies. Recently, sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs), particularly those involving photocatalytic generation of sulfate radicals (SO₄•⁻), have emerged as a highly effective approach for the degradation of recalcitrant pollutants due to their powerful oxidizing capacity, selective reactivity, and compatibility with diverse water matrices.

This Special Issu aims to consolidate state-of-the-art research covering the full spectrum from fundamental sulfate radical chemistry to practical environmental applications. We invite original research papers, critical reviews, and perspectives that address innovative synthesis methodologies and optimized photocatalytic systems for sulfate radical production. Contributions employing advanced characterization techniques—analytical, spectroscopic, and computational—to elucidate radical generation mechanisms, reaction kinetics, and pollutant transformation pathways are strongly encouraged.

Furthermore, the Special Issue seeks studies demonstrating the practical viability of sulfate radicals in degrading emerging contaminants under real-world conditions, including pilot-scale tests, reactor optimization, and techno-economic feasibility assessments. By comparatively evaluating sulfate radicals against traditional oxidants, this collection will highlight their potential advantages and limitations within current environmental engineering practices.

Ultimately, this Special Issue strives to bridge fundamental research insights and practical environmental engineering applications, facilitating the translation of sulfate radical chemistry into innovative, sustainable water treatment technologies. The outcomes will inform future research directions, inspire technological advancements, and enhance the global capacity to manage persistent environmental pollutants through sulfate radical-driven photocatalytic remediation processes.

We welcome submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following:

• Development and optimization of sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) and their efficacy in degrading emerging contaminants.
• Novel photocatalysts and catalytic systems engineered specifically for efficient sulfate radical production.
• Detailed investigations on reaction kinetics, mechanisms, and pathways involving sulfate oxidants in photocatalytic reactions.
• Comparative analyses highlighting the performance advantages and limitations of sulfate oxidants relative to other oxidizing species.
• Scale-up considerations, real-world pilot tests, and sustainability assessments of sulfate radical-based photocatalytic remediation technologies.

Dr. Zihao Wu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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.

• sulfate radicals
• AOP
• photocatalytic degradation
• radical reaction kinetics
• catalyst characterization
• catalyst synthesis and optimization