Themed collection Solar chemistry & photocatalysis – environmental applications

Introduction by guest editors
The guest editors introduce the collection of papers of the 9th European Meeting on Solar Chemistry and Photocatalysis: Environmental Applications (SPEA), held in Strasbourg, France, on June 13–17, 2016.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 8-9
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP90041K
Photo-assisted inactivation of Escherichia coli bacteria by silver functionalized titanate nanotubes, Ag/H2Ti2O5·H2O
One-dimensional titanate nanotubes functionalized with silver nanoparticles exhibit unique properties for the effective inactivation of the Gram-negative E. coli in 45 min. under irradiation using a 65 W halogen lamp.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 854-860
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00237D
Comparison of benzene and toluene photodegradation under visible light irradiation by Ba-doped BiFeO3 magnetic nanoparticles with fast sonochemical synthesis
Benzen and toluene can be successfully removed by the combination of photo-Fenton reactions and photocatalytic reactions occurring on the photocatalyst surface.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 86-95
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00212A
An approach to utilize the artificial high power LED UV-A radiation in photoreactors for the degradation of methylene blue
Two laboratory photoreactors were compared in the degradation of MB using high power UV LED and resulted in more than 98% degradation.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 79-85
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00230G
Low cost UVA-LED as a radiation source for the photo-Fenton process: a new approach for micropollutant removal from urban wastewater
A UVA-LED driven photo-Fenton process is shown as a feasible technology for micropollutant removal. The photoreactor design, which strongly depends on the energy efficiency and LED wavelength, needs to be carried out using parameters such as Electrical-Energy-per-Order (EEO).
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 72-78
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00245E
Catalytic photodegradation of pharmaceuticals – homogeneous and heterogeneous photocatalysis
Photoinitiated processes involving Fe(III) as the catalyst – a feasible mechanism for the degradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in natural waters. Reactivity in the homogeneous phase was compared with degradation on TiO2.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 67-71
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00164E
Ag(Ag2O)–ZrO2–Y2O3 photosensitive composites: influence of synthesized routes on structure and properties
It was shown that Ag(or Ag2O)–ZrO2–Y2O3 formation occurs due to the complex process of decomposition and structure transformation of oxide materials and Ag-complexes.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 53-59
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00196C

Emerging pollutant mixture mineralization by TiO2 photocatalysts. The role of the water medium
The role played by different water media in the photodegradation of a mixture of four emerging pollutants was investigated.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 60-66
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00214E
Titania hollow spheres modified with tungstophosphoric acid with enhanced visible light absorption for the photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol
Titania hollow spheres were synthesized using silica nanospheres as the template.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 46-52
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00175K
Humic-like substances from urban waste as auxiliaries for photo-Fenton treatment: a fluorescence EEM-PARAFAC study
Fluorescence EEM-PARAFAC has been demonstrated as an effective tool to analyze the performance of photo-Fenton processes using humic-like substances from urban wastes as iron chelating agent.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 38-45
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00236F

Solid-state photoelectrochemical cell with TiO2 nanotubes for water splitting
We have fabricated and tested a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell where the aqueous electrolyte has been replaced by a proton conducting hydrated Nafion® polymer membrane.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 10-16
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00217J
Photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen using TiO2 sensitized by Ru(II) polyaza complexes
Ru(II) complexes acting as sensitizers for TiO2 increase the degradation rate of ibuprofen in the photocatalytic process activated by visible light.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 31-37
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00222F
Photocatalytic degradation of humic acid using a novel photocatalyst: Ce-doped ZnO
This study aimed at investigating the photocatalytic degradation of humic acid (HA) as a representative of natural organic matter (NOM) by using Ce-doped ZnO as a novel material.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 24-30
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00216A
CO2 reduction over NaNbO3 and NaTaO3 perovskite photocatalysts
Both NaNbO3 and NaTaO3 exhibit interesting intrinsic photocatalytic activities for CO2 reduction in terms of conversion and selectivity.
Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 17-23
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6PP00235H
About this collection
This issue of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences contains a selection of papers presented at the 9th European Meeting on Solar Chemistry & Photocatalysis: Environmental Applications – SPEA 9, held at the convention center in Strasbourg, France, between 13th and 17th of June, 2016.