Polymer/Titania Composites for the Remediation of Water from Pharmaceuticals: A Review

Abstract

Clean water is a limited resource that is essential to human existence. Pharmaceuticals have been developed to improve the health and safety of living beings. Still, their widespread application and consumption, along with their increased industrial production and subsequent improper disposal, have resulted in unprecedented levels of pharmaceutical pollutants in water systems, adversely impacting the health of humans and aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Conventional wastewater treatment methods are ineffective in removing these persistent contaminants, leading to their distribution and accumulation in rivers, lakes, groundwater, and even drinking water sources. Therefore, the development of efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable materials for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater is an immediate and growing necessity to maintain adequate water quality. Given the unique properties of polymers and the outstanding photocatalytic activity of titania (TiO2) nanomaterials, water treatment using polymer-based/TiO2 composites appears to be a promising approach. Although several reviews on the use of polymer/TiO2 composites for water treatment have been published, no comprehensive review has examined the performance of polymer/TiO2 composites, including natural, synthetic, and hybrid natural/synthetic polymer-based composites, in removing pharmaceuticals and addressed the key challenges associated with their practical applications. Herein, we provide an overview of polymer/TiO2 composites that are increasingly being explored for water purification and describe their performance in removing pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, analgesics/anti-inflammatories, and other medical drugs commonly found in wastewater effluents. Key considerations, such as the toxicity of pharmaceutical degradation products, the reusability of polymer/TiO2 composites, and the impact of real-world water systems on overall treatment performance, are also discussed.