| dc.description.abstract |
Increasing water pollution by bio-recalcitrant contaminants necessitates the use
of robust treatment methods. Individual treatment methods are not effective against these
emerging organic pollutants due to their stability in the environment. This has necessitated
the use of advanced integrated systems such as photocatalytic membranes. Synergy in the
reactive photocatalytic membranes effectively degrades the emerging organic pollutants.
This review presents the state of the art in the synthesis and application of photocatalytic
membranes in water and wastewater treatment. The study critically evaluates pertinent
aspects required to improve the performance of photocatalytic membranes, such as tailored
material synthesis, membrane fouling control, improved photocatalyst light absorption, use
of visible light from sunlight, enhanced reaction kinetics through synergy, and regeneration
and reuse. Previous studies report on the effectiveness of photocatalytic membranes in the
removal of organic contaminants in synthetic and actual wastewater. As such, they show
great potential in wastewater decontamination; however, they also face limitations that
need to be addressed. The review identifies the challenges and provides a way forward in
increasing the photoactivity of titanium oxide, fouling mitigation, scalability, improving
cost effectiveness, enhancing membrane stability, and other aspects relevant in scaling up
efforts from the lab scale to industrial scale. |
en_US |