Among the 7×105
tonnes of synthetic dye manufacturing, 1,000 tonnes of
non-biodegradable textile dyes are disposed each year into natural streams and water
bodies. Due to rising environmental concerns and awareness, it is necessary to remove
dyes (pollutants) from municipal and industrial water effluents using a method that is
both efficient and affordable. In this regard, photocatalysis has proven to be a safe,
long-lasting, and effective wastewater treatment method with a high potential for color
removal. Due to their excellent potential as a photocatalyst to degrade various organic
dyes, metal oxide nanoparticles have been hailed as promising materials throughout the
past two decades. The fundamentals of photocatalysis, drawbacks of traditional water
purification techniques, and strategies for dye decolorization and degradation are all
briefly covered in this book chapter. It focuses on the mechanisms in relatively wellunderstood metal oxide photocatalysts. It summarizes recent developments to improve
metal oxide NPs photocatalytic efficiency, shape and structural modifications of metal
oxide, and immobilization of metal oxide by using various supports to make it a
versatile and financially successful dye treatment technology. Then, the conclusion and
the outlook for the future were considered and hypothesized, releasing the field for
advanced study to be granted for developing a photocatalytic system that can be widely
employed for various pollutants.
Keywords: Composites, Degradation, Nanoparticles, Photocatalytic Degradation, Photocatalysis, Pollutants.
