Title : Phtocatalysis: A Green chemical route for wastewater treatment
Abstract:
The whole world is witnessing the problem of pollution of many kinds: water, air, soil, noise, etc. Out of these, much more prominent is water pollution, which is created by discharge of industries, domestic and municipal sewages, agricultural run-off etc., either without or only little treatment. Although, there are various technologies available for wastewater treatment, but majority of these are not eco-friendly in nature. In last few decades, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been developed in this direction, where photocatalysis has played a leading role. It is a green chemical route for degradation of organic contaminants (even non-biodegradable) to almost harmless or less harmful compounds. It is because of the fact that it involves hydroxyl radicals as an oxidant (sometime O2• –, h+ or HO2• also), which is strongest oxidizing agent next to fluorine. Secondly, after the treatment is over, the remanent hydroxyl radicals are dimerized to form hydrogen peroxide, which finally degrades to oxygen and water, both are harmless. It is a green chemical pathway to degrade even recalcitrant organic contaminants.
Audience Take Away
- Audience will learn about the concept of photocatalysis.
- This technique can be utilized for wastewater treatment.
- Yes, efforts can be made to degrade various pollutants as well as to modify the photocatalyst for higher activity.
