article · Environmental Engineering Science
Persistent organic residues in water represent a significant environmental problem that advanced oxidation processes can help address. Photocatalysis uses light to activate semiconductor materials, creating reactive species that degrade and mineralise pollutants under mild operating conditions. Combining hydroxyapatite with metal oxide nanocomposites offers notable performance advantages for breaking down pharmaceutical residues in contaminated water. These composite materials provide an increased active surface area, reduced electron-hole recombination rates, and straightforward recovery after treatment. Key factors governing their catalytic efficiency include material porosity, structural characteristics, and charge dynamics. However, practical deployment faces major hurdles, particularly regarding limited visible-light absorption, material stability over time, and engineering difficulties associated with scaling up production. Addressing these limitations is essential for developing sustainable hybrid systems capable of effective water purification.
Pharmaceutical waste in water systems poses long-term risks to ecosystems and public health because conventional treatments struggle to remove persistent organic compounds. Photocatalysis provides a cleaner alternative that relies on light energy under mild conditions. Understanding how hydroxyapatite-metal oxide composites function helps guide the design of more efficient, recoverable materials that can neutralise stubborn chemical pollutants without creating secondary waste.
This work informs the development of advanced filtration and water treatment systems targeting persistent pharmaceutical contaminants. Potential users include municipal water treatment facilities and industrial wastewater managers seeking sustainable remediation tools. Because the findings derive from a review identifying persistent challenges in scaling up, material stability, and visible-light activation, the technology remains at an early stage of research and development rather than near-market deployment.
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Water pollution by persistent organic residues represents a major environmental challenge. Photocatalysis is an advanced oxidation process based on the activation of suitable semiconductor catalysts by light, which possess specific structural and textural characteristics, enabling the generation of reactive species capable of degrading and mineralizing pollutants. It plays a substantial role in water treatment and environmental protection due to the use of clean energy and its operation under mild conditions. This review summarizes recent progress on hydroxyapatite-based metal oxide nanocomposites, with an emphasis on the mechanisms and synergistic effects that enhance the photocatalytic activity of pharmaceutical residue degradation. Structural characteristics, porosity, and charge dynamics of these photocatalysts are identified as key factors influencing photocatalytic reactions. Their catalytic efficiency was analyzed by highlighting the underlying mechanisms, the main kinetic factors, and their main advantages, including an increased active surface area, reduced electron–hole recombination, and easy recovery of the photocatalyst. Key challenges, including material stability, limited visible-light absorption, and scaling difficulties, are highlighted with the aim of improving photocatalytic efficiency and developing sustainable hybrid systems for water treatment.
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DOI: 10.1177/15579018261476167
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