Recent progress in TiO2–biochar-based photocatalysts for water contaminants treatment: strategies to improve photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Toxic organic pollutants in wastewater have seriously damaged human health and ecosystems. Photocatalytic degradation is a potential and efficient tactic for wastewater treatment. Among the entire carbon family, biochar has been developed for the adsorption of pollutants due to its large specific surface area, porous skeleton structure, and abundant surface functional groups. Hence, combining adsorption and photocatalytic decomposition, TiO₂–biochar photocatalysts have received considerable attention and have been extensively studied. Owing to biochar's adsorption, more active sites and strong interactions between contaminants and photocatalysts can be achieved. The synergistic effect of biochar and TiO₂ nanomaterials substantially improves the photocatalytic capacity for pollutant degradation. TiO₂–biochar composites have numerous attractive properties and advantages, culminating in infinite applications. This review discusses the characteristics and preparation techniques of biochar, presents in situ and ex situ synthesis approaches of TiO₂–biochar nanocomposites, explains the benefits of TiO₂–biochar-based compounds for photocatalytic degradation, and emphasizes the strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO₂–biochar-based photocatalysts. Finally, the main difficulties and future advancements of TiO₂–biochar-based photocatalysis are highlighted. The review gives an exhaustive overview of recent progress in TiO₂–biochar-based photocatalysts for organic contaminants removal and is expected to encourage the development of robust TiO₂–biochar-based photocatalysts for sewage remediation and other environmentally friendly uses.