Development and potential of new generation photocatalytic systems for air pollution abatement: An overview

Photocatalysis is the process by which various undesired substrates are reduced or oxidised on the surface of a photoresponsive material when exposed to a sufficiently energetic irradiation source. Together with other processes like photolysis and ozonation, photocatalysis forms a larger, important group of technologies known as Advanced Oxidation Processes or AOPs. This short review begins with an introduction to the fundamental processes and entities involved in general semiconductor photocatalysis. Various major air pollutants are considered, along with their health effects and traditional means of abatement. Recent advances in photocatalytic materials (including the use of novel materials other then titania), together with heterogeneous photoreactor design (in particular, of the flow-type) are then described. Concluding remarks are included, along with some recommendations for possible future work.