Polymer Composite-Based Materials with Photocatalytic Applications in Wastewater Organic Pollutant Removal: A Mini Review

Abstract

The development of new technologies using nanomaterials has allowed scientists to design advanced processes with many applications in environmental protection, energy production and storage, and medicinal bio-mediated processes. Due to their significant potential applications in different branches of science, the development of new polymer composites represents a priority, especially for nano-technological processes. Interest in polymeric composites was outlined by the synthesis of a large number of nano- or mezzo-scale materials with targeted functional properties for polymer matrix hybridization. The present mini review explores some of the most representative and recent papers reporting the photocatalytic activity of polymer composites toward different organic compounds (dyes, pharmaceutically active molecules, phenol, etc.). The polymer composites were divided based on their composition and photocatalytic activity. TiO2- and ZnO-based polymeric composites have been described here in light of their photocatalytic activity toward different pollutants, such as rhodamine B, phenol, or methyl orange. Polymeric composites based on WO3, Fe2O3, or Bi2MoO6 were also described. The influence of different polymeric composites and photocatalytic parameters (light spectra and intensity, pollutant molecule and concentration, irradiation time, and photocatalyst dosage) on the overall photocatalytic efficiency indicates that semiconductor (TiO2, ZnO, etc.) insertion in the polymeric matrix can tune the photocatalytic activity without compromising the structural integrity. Future perspectives and limitations are outlined considering the systematic and targeted description of the reported results. Adopting green route synthesis and application can add economic and scientific value to the knowledgebase by promoting technological development based on photocatalytic designs.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole and Enrofloxacin in Water Using Electrospun Composite Photocatalytic Membrane

“…Polymer-based carriers offer a viable solution for stabilizing photocatalytic materials and facilitating their separation from treated water [24][25][26]. In numerous studies, the removal efficiency of pollutants in dyes such as methyl orange and rhodamine B through photocatalytic degradation has been reported to reach 70-100% [25,27]. Polymers like polyethylene (PE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polypropylene (PP), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyaniline (PANI), polyethersulfone (PES) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) have also drawn attention as common polymer matrices for photocatalysts [28][29][30].…”

Degradation of Organic Methyl Orange (MO) Dye Using a Photocatalyzed Non-Ferrous Fenton Reaction

“…Unlike polymer composites for treating aqueous waste streams [ 15 ], metals with variable oxidation states act as promising non-ferrous Fenton catalysts in hydrogen peroxide solution due to their multiple oxidation states, which can be catalytically converted from inert to active or vice versa via a simple redox cycle [ 16 ]. In this regard, zero-valent aluminum in an acidic medium (pH ˂ 4) has demonstrated Fenton-like activity that mineralizes phenol, 4-chlorophenol, and nitrobenzene [ 17 ].…”

Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylparaben Using Green Nanosilver Supported on Reduced Graphene Oxide

“…However, the use of nanoparticles is compromised by a tendency to agglomerate, which leads to the loss of their activity. This detrimental property can be resisted by developing a graphene-based nano silver composite, which also brings additional benefits such as high conductivity, high surface area (2630 m 2 /g), chemical and mechanical stability, improved photoreception, efficient electron transfer, and adsorptive properties that improve the remediation process. − Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been considered as an effective photocatalyst considering the presence of a large number of adsorption sites, reaction centers, electron reservoirs, as well as pathways for electron transfer that reduces the rate of the charge carrier recombination. , The higher surface area exhibited by rGO can be helpful in the effective attachment of the pollutants through π–π stacking on the surface. , Previous research has demonstrated the advantage of rGO in separating light-generated electron and hole pairs, which improves the photocatalytic activity of photocatalysts . Zhao et al used a simple one-step hydrothermal method to create an Ag/AgVO 3 /rGO composite, which demonstrated excellent light capture ability and photocatalytic performance for the degradation of bisphenol A .…”