Pollutants removal from saline water by solar photocatalysis: a review of experimental and theoretical approaches

Photocatalysis is playing a vital role for the treatment of recalcitrant pollutants present in water streams. Solar photocatalysis is an environmental friendly and cost-effective technology. Various research works have been reported on the development of novel photocatalysts and the enhancement of their photocatalytic activity. Efforts were being made to apply solar photocatalysis for the removal of pollutants from saline water and industrial saline wastewater. Researchers carried out experimental studies with different reactor configurations such as batch studies, batch recirculation studies, and continuous flow studies with photocatalysts in suspension or photocatalysts in immobilised thin-film systems. The performance of the photocatalytic process was mostly evaluated through percentage removal efficiencies of various parameters such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total organic carbon (TOC). Experimental runs were optimised using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) techniques. This work is a comprehensive review on the application of solar photocatalysis for the treatment of pollutants present in saline water and industrial saline wastewater. It briefly examines the latest advances in both experimental and theoretical approaches, probing the novel techniques. Finally, this review concludes with current challenges and new directions in this emerging area of research.

Automated summary

Photocatalysis plays a crucial role in treating recalcitrant pollutants in water streams, and solar photocatalysis is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology. Researchers have conducted various experimental studies to evaluate the performance of photocatalytic processes and improve their efficiency through optimization techniques. This review provides an overview of the recent advances in the application of solar photocatalysis for the treatment of pollutants in saline water and industrial saline wastewater, as well as explores new techniques.