Recent advances in sorption-based photocatalytic materials for the degradation of antibiotics

The misuse of antibiotics and insufficient water treatment practices have resulted in significant issues, including the emergence of drug-resistant genes, posing grave threats to both human health and the ecosystem. Despite antibiotics being present in minute quantities within wastewater, their enrichment is crucial for effective removal. Thus, synthesizing photocatalysts with exceptional adsorption properties becomes pivotal factor. While previous studies have extensively covered the adsorption or photocatalytic breakdown of antibiotics, a comprehensive compilation of adsorption photocatalysts proficient in antibiotic degradation is lacking. This work explores major antibiotic classes and their fundamental properties, analyzes the impact of solution pH on antibiotic adsorption, and outlines the basic principles and key factors influencing the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). It also briefly describes the adsorption mechanisms involving the main atoms and functional groups, including electrostatic, hydrophobic, acid-base, π-π, cation-π interactions, pore-filling, and hydrogen-bonding. Additionally, the study summarizes the energy band structures of six prevalent adsorptive photocatalytic materials and their corresponding primary mechanisms for antibiotic degradation, elucidating their applications in both antibiotic adsorption and photodegradation. These materials include graphitic carbon nitride-based, bismuth-based, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based, semiconducting metal oxides-based, silver-based, graphene-based, and other photocatalysts. Moreover, it elucidates the factors augmenting adsorption performance and photocatalytic efficacy of these composite materials, underscoring the pivotal synergy between adsorption and photocatalysis for enhanced efficiency. Lastly, this paper encapsulates current concerns and outlines future research prospects in the realm of photocatalytic antibiotic degradation. It stands as a valuable resource, offering guidance for research aimed at purging antibiotics from water bodies, providing theoretical insights indispensable in crafting and synthesizing efficient photocatalytic materials for antibiotic degradation.