Advanced municipal wastewater treatment and simultaneous energy/resource recovery via photo(electro)catalysis

Wastewater management and energy/resource recycling have been extensively investigated via photo(electro)catalysis. Although both operation processes are driven effectively by the same interfacial charge, each system is practiced separately since they require very different reaction conditions. In this review, we showcase the recent advancements in photo(electro)catalytic process that enables the wastewater treatment and simultaneous energy/resource recovery (WT-ERR). Various literatures based on photo(electro)catalysis for wastewater treatment coupled with CO2 conversion, H2 production and heavy metal recovery are summarized. Besides, the fundamentals of photo(electro)catalysis and the influencing factors in such synergistic process are also presented. The essential feature of the catalysis lies in effectively utilizing hole oxidation for pollutant degradation and electron reduction for energy/resource recovery. Although in its infancy, the reviewed technology provides new avenue for developing next-generation wastewater treatment process. Moreover, we expect that this review can stimulate intensive researches to rationally design photo(electro)catalytic systems for environmental remediation accompanied with energy and resource recovery.