Titania-activated persulfate for environmental remediation: the-state-of-the-art

In the last decade, a considerable body of literature has been devoted to advanced oxidation processes encompassed peroxy-sulfur species owing to their capacity to generate highly active radicals. These species fulfill two main objectives in AOPs: act as electron-scavengers and give rise to sulfate radicals, which collectively facilitate the oxidation of organic pollutants. This review provides data on the recent strategies and practices aimed to enhance the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 where persulfate/peroxymonosulfate species are supplemented. The mechanism of persulfate activation, direct and interactive effects on the photoactivity of TiO2 nanostructures, and subsequent degradation efficiencies of agrochemicals, dyes, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, and pathogenic microorganisms were studied and thoroughly discussed. The data on several titania-based nanostructures, the best operational conditions, and the removal outputs in the presence of oxidants and electron acceptors, in particular, persulfate ions are summarized, depicted, and tabulated. As per reviewed literature, titania-persulfate integration can effectively address the environmental implications of organic pollutants.