Recent Developments and Applications of Photocatalysis for Clean Environment

Photocatalytic decomposition of pollutants under sunlight is an economically attractive move towards sustainable chemistry, and has a positive environmental impact.  Recently, there has been immense interest in the application of photocatalysts for decontamination of pollutants from air/water. This is reflected in the increasing number of publications on photocatalysis and environment.

The first part of this paper discusses the publishing trends in the area of photocatalysis and environment, and publications during the last five years.  The total number of publications, the top journals publishing on environmental photocatalysis, countries that are vibrant on research in this area, international collaborations etc., are presented. The second part of the paper discusses the research development and results obtained jointly by UCL, NCL and C-MET under the UK-India Education Research Initiative, on development of sustainable, low-cost technologies for the photocatalytic removal of environmental pollutants. The present work will have impact on curtailing air and water pollution.