Research progress of nitrate removal technologies based on photoelectrochemical reduction
HUANG Tian-rong1, WANG Kai-chong1, LI Zi-bin1, LI Dan-ping1, WANG Han1, WANG Ya-yi1,2
1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; 2. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Abstract:As a common pollutant in water, nitrate has nonnegligible harmful effects on human health and the ecological environment. Faced with an increasingly severe energy crisis, the development of green, clean and sustainable nitrate removal technologies to replace the conventional resource-intensive denitrification process is urgently needed. Photoelectrochemical nitrate reduction powered by sunlight has become a research hotspot at home and abroad. Based on the way photogenerated electrons being transferred from semiconductor to nitrate, this technology can be categorized into photocatalytic reduction, photoelectrocatalytic reduction, and microbial photoelectrotrophic reduction. In this review, the mechanisms of three photoelectrochemical nitrate reduction technologies were discussed. With a focus on improving system performance, the selection and design strategies of photocatalysts, photoelectrodes and microbial photosensitizers were also summarized. Moreover, the technical difficulties of photoelectrochemical nitrate reduction are clarified and the future directions of research are proposed, such as regulating the pathway of microbial absorption and utilization of photogenerated electrons through genetic engineering and other methods. The insights provided will serve as a reference for the development of new nitrate removal and reutilization technologies.
黄天荣, 王凯冲, 李子滨, 李丹萍, 汪涵, 王亚宜. 基于光电化学还原的硝酸盐去除技术研究进展[J]. 中国环境科学, 2025, 45(4): 1878-1888.
HUANG Tian-rong, WANG Kai-chong, LI Zi-bin, LI Dan-ping, WANG Han, WANG Ya-yi. Research progress of nitrate removal technologies based on photoelectrochemical reduction. CHINA ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCECE, 2025, 45(4): 1878-1888.
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