article · Tetrahedron Green Chem
Conventional wastewater treatment often displays suboptimal efficiency and generates undesirable secondary by-products. Heterogeneous photocatalysis, an advanced oxidation process, offers an ecologically and economically viable route to completely break down pollutants into water and carbon dioxide under ambient conditions. Although titanium dioxide is widely utilised due to its non-toxicity, chemical stability, and high reactivity, its broader use is restricted by ultraviolet light dependence, rapid charge recombination, and low surface area. Recent structural and chemical modification strategies seek to overcome these barriers by extending absorption into the visible-light spectrum and improving charge transport. These techniques include metal and non-metal doping, dye sensitisation, and forming heterostructures, particularly with bismuth-based photocatalysts like BiVO4, Bi2WO6, and Bi2MoO6, to substantially boost visible-light degradation of wastewater contaminants.
Growing water stress requires cleaner, more sustainable methods to purify contaminated water. Conventional processes often leave behind harmful residues or operate inefficiently. Adapting titanium dioxide to operate using visible light rather than ultraviolet rays enables the breakdown of harmful contaminants into benign compounds under normal ambient conditions, supporting greener, lower-energy environmental remediation.
The discussed modifications could support developers of advanced oxidation systems designing next-generation wastewater treatment technologies for industrial or municipal facilities. Operating under visible light without secondary by-products would lower energy demands and operational costs. However, because the abstract represents a review of material engineering concepts, the approaches described remain at an early, laboratory-focused research stage rather than near practical commercial deployment.
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Wastewater treatment is an environmental imperative due to increasing water stress and ecological crises particularly in view of the inherent limitations of conventional treatment methods, which frequently demonstrate suboptimal efficiency and tend to produce undesirable secondary by-products. In this context, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), especially heterogeneous photocatalysis, have demonstrated significant potential as ecologically and economically viable solutions for the complete degradation of pollutants into CO 2 and H 2 O under ambient conditions. Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) is the most widely used photocatalyst owing to its non-toxicity, photochemical stability, and high reactivity. However, its practical application is hindered by several limitations, including activation restricted to UV light (due to a wide bandgap), rapid recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, and relatively low surface area. To overcome these challenges, this review discusses recent strategies for modifying the properties and structure of TiO 2 to enhance its photocatalytic performance under visible light. These strategies include metal or non-metal doping, the formation of heterostructures, and dye sensitization, all aimed at extending light absorption into the visible range and improving charge separation and transport. Furthermore, the integration of TiO 2 with bismuth-based photocatalysts, such as BiVO 4 , Bi 2 WO 6 , and Bi 2 MoO 6 , is explored. These materials exhibit efficient visible-light absorption and favorable electronic properties, significantly boosting the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 . By implementing these modifications, TiO 2 -based photocatalysts are expected to play a key role in environmental remediation and contribute to the development of sustainable water treatment technologies.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.tgchem.2025.100084
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