Wastewater Treatment by Heterogeneous Photocatalysis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Pharmaceutical wastewater contains compounds that, in low concentrations, affect ecosystems for being endocrine disruptors. Therefore, advanced oxidation processes have been proposed as an ideal treatment strategy. Within these technologies, heterogeneous photocatalysis stands out as a high-efficiency and low-cost technology. This research provides a systematic review on the degradation of wastewater from the pharmaceutical industry and the significant advances concerning its degradation by heterogeneous photocatalysis. We used Thesaurus, keywords, and Boolean search in the selected databases: Dialnet, Science Direct, Scopus, Redalyc, SciELO, ProQuest, and American Chemical Society. We also set inclusion/exclusion criteria based on the PRISMA statement, developed a bibliometric parameter, performed a statistical analysis, and established the bestoperating conditions for technology implementation. In conclusion, heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising proposal for treating the study matrix.