Recent developments in photocatalytic dye degradation upon irradiation with energy-efficient light emitting diodes

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are gaining recognition as a convenient and energy-efficient light source for photocatalytic application. This review focuses on recent progress in the research and development of the degradation of dyes in water under LED light irradiation and provides a brief overview of photocatalysis, details of the LEDs commonly employed, a discussion of the advantages of LEDs over traditional ultraviolet sources and their application to photocatalytic dye degradation. We also discuss the experimental conditions used, the reported mechanisms of dye degradation and the various photocatalytic reactor designs and pay attention to the different types of LEDs used, and their power consumption. Based on a literature survey, the feasibility, benefits, limitations, and future prospects of LEDs for use in photocatalytic dye degradation are discussed in detail. (C) 2014, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.