The use of geopolymers in photodegradation processes of organic pollutants

Over the past two decades, the rapid expansion of industries has led to a significant increase in environmental pollution, prompting extensive research into various methods for pollutant removal. One particularly prominent approach involves the photodegradation of organic compounds using inorganic photocatalysts. In recent years, there has been growing interest among researchers in utilizing geopolymers as the primary matrix for these photocatalysts. Geopolymers, composed of aluminosilicates and alkaline solutions, are derived from a variety of materials such as kaolin, fly ash, slag, and natural clay. They are valued for their environmental preservation properties, including resistance to weather and soil conditions, stability to temperature and humidity fluctuations, and high flexibility and recyclability. Photodegradation is the process by which environmental pollutants are broken down by sunlight or other light sources, and it can serve as an effective method for water pollution removal. While photodegradation can occur naturally in environments such as seas and oceans, artificial processes employing advanced technologies, such as UV technology, are also utilized for water purification and pollutant removal. Given the wide array of techniques for preparing and applying geopolymers containing photocatalyst compounds, the aim of this research is to review the latest advancements in utilizing geopolymers for the optical decomposition of pollutants. To this end, various methods for photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants using photocatalytic geopolymers based on different mineral compounds and carrying different photocatalysts have been explored. The use of this method has shown promise, with pollutant absorption rates exceeding ۹۰%.

کلیدواژه ها:

Geopolymers ، photodegradation ، organic pollutants ، photocatalyst