Visible light induced photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

In this paper, visible light assisted degradation of various pollutants using different methods has been briefly reviewed. These methods have been broadly divided into two main categories. In the first category, the use of TiO2 semiconductor facilitating the photooxidative degradation of organic pollutants has been presented. This semiconductor has been treated in several ways. A major aim of these treatments is to maximize the range of wavelength in the visible light region for wastewater treatment. In the second category, various ways of degrading organic pollutants without the use of TiO2 semiconductor have been briefly outlined. The role of Fe(II)/Fe(III), etc., species in the sensitization process of various substrates helping it in the process to photocatalytic degradation reactions of organic pollutants has been highlighted. Also, the usage of semiconductors other than TiO2 has been critically analyzed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.