Recent Advances in Adsorption–Photocatalytic Removal of Pharmaceuticals From Water Using Hybrid Ion‐Adsorbent Photocatalyst

Abstract

The remediation of pharmaceutical drugs (PHACs) in the aqueous environment has been one of the major challenges facing the global community for decades. The risk associated with these compounds is their ubiquitous persistence in the environment, posing potential human health risks and ecotoxicological effects. The combined adsorption-photocatalysis process has proven successful in eliminating a wide range of emerging pollutants (EPs), including PHACs. The current review provides updated literature on the recent advancements in adsorption-photocatalytic removal of PHACs from wastewater using hybrid ion-adsorbent photocatalytic systems. Process performance has been discussed. Limitations have been identified, and possible solutions are proposed to overcome or reduce them. The exemplary investigations of this review would clearly equip the research community with the updated data associated with research gaps for further research aimed at developing efficient ion-adsorptive photocatalysts, overall process improvements, and potential scale-up operations. This review is crucial, given that adsorption-photocatalysis has shown promising results in eliminating EPs, including PHACs in wastewater, yet practical applications remain elusive.