Solar light-induced photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment

The use of pharmaceutical products (PP) has increased significantly within the last decade. Many pharmaceutical products are water soluble and nonbiodegradable, and conventional wastewater and water treatment technologies are not designed to remove them. While they provide many advantages in improving the quality of human and animal health, the potential for the release of pharmaceuticals into the environment makes them an emerging pollutant of concern. New technologies are required for the effective removal of these contaminants. This chapter presents a discussion on a number of solar light-driven catalytic materials for the degradation of pharmaceuticals, with an emphasis on the advantages of using heterocatalysts for wastewater treatment.