Photocatalytic Self-Fenton System of g-C3N4-Based for Degradation of Emerging Contaminants: A Review of Advances and Prospects

The discharge of emerging pollutants in the industrial process poses a severe threat to the ecological environment and human health. Photocatalytic self-Fenton technology combines the advantages of photocatalysis and Fenton oxidation technology through the in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and interaction with iron (Fe) ions to generate a large number of strong reactive oxygen species (ROS) to effectively degrade pollutants in the environment. Graphite carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) is considered as the most potential photocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) photocatalyst for H₂O₂ production due to its excellent chemical/thermal stability, unique electronic structure, easy manufacturing, and moderate band gap (2.70 eV). Hence, in this review, we briefly introduce the advantages of the photocatalytic self-Fenton and its degradation mechanisms. In addition, the modification strategy of the g-C₃N₄-based photocatalytic self-Fenton system and related applications in environmental remediation are fully discussed and summarized in detail. Finally, the prospects and challenges of the g-C₃N₄-based photocatalytic self-Fenton system are discussed. We believe that this review can promote the construction of novel and efficient photocatalytic self-Fenton systems as well as further application in environmental remediation and other research fields.