Redefining advanced oxidation processes for low-carbon water treatment

Abstract

Advanced oxidation processes are essential for securing high-quality water resources by deploying reactive oxygen species to mineralize organic pollutants. While decades of innovation have pushed contaminant removal efficiency towards their thermodynamic limits, pursuing kinetics alone paradoxically escalates environmental burdens in a carbon-constrained world. Sustainable development requires advanced oxidation processes to balance traditional catalytic activity against the associated chemical footprint, energy intensity and secondary waste generation. Here we define a low-carbon water treatment framework that optimizes the water–energy–carbon nexus, driven by three comprehensive sustainability vectors: minimized chemical consumption, optimized energy inputs and solid waste valorization. Furthermore, we discuss the evolution from atomic-level catalyst design to system-level process intensification while highlighting digitalization via artificial intelligence-driven intelligent process control, operational stability and transformation process safety. We propose embedding life-cycle assessment and transformation risk metrics into future technology evaluations, providing a structured, carbon-aware roadmap for next-generation water engineering. Ultimately, this unified paradigm aims to redefine water purification infrastructure, transitioning it from a conventional end-of-pipe remediation asset into a core engine of circular regeneration and value creation. This Perspective redefines advanced oxidation processes by shifting the paradigm from efficiency-centric pollutant mineralization to a low-carbon, sustainability-driven framework that integrates chemical mitigation, energy optimization, solid waste valorization and life-cycle assessment to transform water treatment into a circular regeneration platform.