Recent advances in photodegradation of antibiotic residues in water

Abstract

Antibiotics are widely present in the environment due to their extensive and long-term use in modern medicine. The presence and dispersal of these compounds in the environment lead to the dissemination of antibiotic residues, thereby seriously threatening human and ecosystem health. Thus, the effective management of antibiotic residues in water and the practical applications of the management methods are long-term matters of contention among academics. Particularly, photocatalysis has attracted extensive interest as it enables the treatment of antibiotic residues in an eco-friendly manner. Considerable progress has been achieved in the implementation of photocatalytic treatment of antibiotic residues in the past few years. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent developments on this important topic. This review primarily focuses on the application of photocatalysis as a promising solution for the efficient decomposition of antibiotic residues in water. Particular emphasis was laid on improvement and modification strategies, such as augmented light harvesting, improved charge separation, and strengthened interface interaction, all of which enable the design of powerful photocatalysts to enhance the photocatalytic removal of antibiotics.

Keywords: Advanced materials; Clean water and sanitation; Green and sustainable remediation; High-performance photocatalyst; Reaction mechanisms for photodegradation.

Graphical abstract

Fig. 1

Number of search results of recent publications addressing the photocatalytic treatment of antibiotic residues using “photocatalytic” and “antibiotic treatment” as keywords (collected from the Web of Science Core Database: March 9, 2020).

Fig. 2

Schematic representation of the semiconductor photocatalysis process

Scheme 1

Strategies for photocatalytic efficiency improvement.

Fig. 3

Schematic of the OV-induced photocatalytic process on ZnWO_4-x

Fig. 4

(a) UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra of a) 1) raw TiO₂ (5 0 0), and N-TiO₂ (T) samples prepared at 2) 450, 3) 500, 4) 550, 5) 600, 6) 700 and 7) 800 °C , (b) diffuse reflection spectra (DRS) curves of undoped and doped TDHG , Inset: Photographs of TDHG, N-TDHG, b -TDHG and b/N-TDHG photocatalysts.

Fig. 5

(a) Light absorption curves and (b) photocatalytic mechanisms of CQD/TNT photocatalyst

Fig. 6

Mott-Schottky curves on (a) CN and (b) PN-2; (c and d) schematic of carrier migration at the p-n homojunction

Fig. 7

(a) Photodegradation of TC by the as-synthesized plasmonic Ag/Bi₃O₄Cl under visible irradiation, (b) possible photocatalytic mechanisms on the Ag/Bi₃O₄Cl samples , (c) photocatalytic kinetics of prepared g-C₃N₄, Pt/g-C₃N₄, Au/g-C₃N₄, and Au/Pt/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites (d) schematic of the g-C₃N₄ photoinduced charge transport

Fig. 8

Preparation process for g-C₃N₄/Bi₄O₅Br₂ nanocomposites

Fig. 9

(a) Roadmap of Z-scheme photocatalytic system evolution ; (b) suggested photoinduced charge transport on g-C₃N₄(60)/TNTAs

Fig. 10

Photocatalytic degradation mechanisms of CR and TC by a ternary LDH/CN/RGO heterostructure

Fig. 11

Synthesis of BiVO₄/RGO/CeVO₄ heterostructures