Degradation of micropollutants in water matrices using light activated - Persulfate: A review

The escalating challenge of eliminating persistent micropollutants from aquatic environments acted as a driving force for the development of innovative Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). Among various AOPs, Light-Activated Persulfate (LAP) stands out for its efficacy due to its homogeneous nature and the potential for coupling with renewable sources, leading to enhanced sustainability. From this perspective, this review summarizes the research on LAP for the degradation of micropollutants over the previous six years. It examines the effect of operational parameters such as persulfate concentration, light type and intensity, and pH, with particular emphasis on the effect of water matrices consisting of inorganic ions and organic matter and the application in environmentally relevant water matrices. Particular emphasis was given to the investigation of toxicity variation during the treatment. In addition, some elements of a preliminary estimation of the energy and cost needed are included. Finally, this comprehensive review includes some indicative hybrid systems that achieve dual activation of persulfate with enhanced efficiency and provides suggestions for the intensified future research needed for the transition from the lab scale to industrial application.