Recent trend in visible-light photoelectrocatalytic systems for degradation of organic contaminants in water/wastewater

Abstract

Electrochemical advanced oxidation process and heterogeneous photocatalysis have received great attention in the last few years as alternative/complementary water treatment technologies. Recent reports have demonstrated that coupling these two techniques to form a photoelectrocatalytic system does not only significantly minimise their drawbacks, but also offer synergistic benefits in the treatment process. The possibility of using sunlight as light energy source further lends photoelectrocatalysis to sustainability. Herein, recent works on photoelectrocatalysis are discussed with focus on the methods of synthesis, solar receptive tuning and water treatment applications of selected visible-light sensitive materials such as TiO₂, ZnO, WO₃, BiVO₄ and their composites towards organic pollutant degradation.