Advances in powder nano-photocatalysts as pollutant removal and as emerging contaminants in water: Analysis of pros and cons on health and environment

作者：Sahil Thakur, Abhijeet Ojha, Sushil Kumar Kansal, Navneet Kumar Gupta, H.C. Swart, Junghyun Cho, Andrej Kuznetsov, Shuhui Sun, Jai Prakash · 发表于：Advanced Powder Materials · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.apmate.2024.100233 · 被引用次数：107 · 研究领域：Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications、Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications、Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis

Photocatalysis is an advanced oxidation process where light exposure triggers a semiconducting nanomaterial (nano-photocatalyst) to generate electron-hole (e − /h + ) pairs and free radicals . This phenomenon is widely used for the photocatalysis-assisted removal of organic and other contaminants using wide range of nano-photocatalysts, offering an efficient approach to environmental remediation. However, the introduction of powdered nano-photocatalysts into water systems often leads to unintended secondary pollution in the form of residual nano-photocatalysts, ion leaching, free radicals, toxic by-products etc. Such practices potentially introduce emerging secondary contaminants into aquatic environments, posing risks to both aquatic life and human health. The resulting chemical by-products and intermediates can effectively induce chronic toxicity , neurological and developmental disorders, cardiovascular defects, and intestinal ailments in humans and aquatic species. Despite having a range of health and environmental consequences, this dark side of nano-photocatalysts has been comparatively less explored and discussed in the literature. In this review, the pros and cons of powder nano-photocatalysts are discussed in view of their advantages as well as disadvantages in wastewater treatment . The discussion encompasses their classification based on composition , dimensions, structure, and activity, as well as recent advancements in improving their photocatalytic efficiency. T...