Photocatalysis for heavy metal treatment: A review

Abstract

Environmental and human health are threatened by anthropogenic heavy metal discharge into watersheds. Traditional processes have many limitations, such as low efficiency, high cost, and by-products. Photocatalysis, an emerging advanced catalytic oxidation technology, uses light energy as the only source of energy. It is a clean new technology that can be widely used in the treatment of organic pollutants in water. Given the excellent adaptability of photocatalysis in environmental remediation, it can be used for the treatment of heavy metals. In this comprehensive review, the existing reported works in relevant areas are summarized and discussed. Moreover, recommendations for future work are provided.