Photo-Fenton applied to the removal of pharmaceutical and other pollutants of emerging concern

Abstract Application of photo-Fenton for wastewater reuse is a hot-topic research activity for defining alternative water sources. In sunny water-stressed countries, solar irradiation is under study as a sustainable pollution-free energy source for powering photo-Fenton water treatment. In solar photo-Fenton, water containing iron and H2O2 is irradiated to promote generation of hydroxyl radicals which can degrade pharmaceuticals and other pollutants of emerging concern. As homogeneous photo-Fenton has several disadvantages, such as its narrow pH operating range compared to other well-studied AOPs, photo-Fenton-like processes working at circumneutral pH have been widely investigated. Heterogeneous photo-Fenton is considered effective because of its wide working pH range and cyclability. Nevertheless, design of efficient heterogeneous catalysts remains the major challenge. This paper discusses key photo-Fenton parameters as well as its limitations and future perspectives for real implementation.