Pharmaceuticals in wastewater and their photocatalytic degradation using nano-enabled photocatalysts

Pharmaceuticals in the concentration range of hundreds of ng/L to μg/L occur in wastewater and end up in surface water, groundwater and agricultural land where they cause various health risks. These pollutants are classified as emerging and cannot be efficiently removed by conventional wastewater treatment processes. The use of nano-enabled photocatalysts in the removal of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems has recently received research attention owing to their enhanced properties and effectiveness. The industrial scale application of photocatalytic technology is still limited. A comprehensive review on the removal of pharmaceuticals from real wastewater using the photocatalysts is therefore necessary. This…