BiOCl-based composites for photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics: A review of synthesis method, modification, factors affecting photodegradation and toxicity assessment

The overuse of antibiotics leads to significant water pollution, posing a threat to human and environmental health. Photocatalysis is regarded as a sustainable, effective, and economical approach for degrading antibiotics, leading to a growing body of research on the photocatalytic elimination of antibiotics in the literature. BiOCl-based composites have demonstrated excellent photocatalytic capabilities and stability, attributed to their distinctive electronic and layered structures. This review examines the impact of synthesis techniques and variables on the shape and photocatalytic efficiency of BiOCl-based composites. The strategies used to improve the photocatalytic activity of the BiOCl-based composites are summarized in detail, with an analysis of the factors affecting the efficiency of the BiOCl-based composites in the degradation of antibiotics. Meanwhile, the mechanism, degradation pathway and toxicity of intermediates of BiOCl-based photocatalyst for antibiotic degradation was analyzed, and compared with other photocatalytic materials, BiOCl-based photocatalysts for antibiotic degradation have the advantages of high photocatalytic activity, weak antimicrobial activity and low or almost non-toxic toxicity in degrading intermediates or by-products produced. Furthermore, challenges in the practical application of BiOCl-based photocatalysts are discussed, and future research perspectives are proposed. This review aims to provide a valuable resource for the management and development of BiOCl-based photocatalysts for the removal of antibiotics from wastewater, helping to mitigate an increasingly critical risk to global health.