6 - Visible light active photocatalysts for the removal of inorganic emerging contaminants

Abstract

The water pollution by atrophic and natural sources is one of the major problems of our planet. Unfortunately, there are many types of pollutants that can be found in wastewater and drinking water, and these concern both organic and inorganic pollutants. The common problem to these contaminants is their difficult removal through conventional water treatment methods. In particular, the scientific community is showing a strong interest in the removal of heavy metals present in water because of their toxic effects on the environment and on human health. The conventional techniques used to remove these elements from the waters, with their advantages and disadvantages have been described. In particular, an efficient alternative method for the removal of heavy metals has been described in detail: the heterogeneous photocatalysis. In this chapter the characteristics of this process has been reported, highlighting the recent applications in the removal of heavy metals using photocatalysts active under visible light.