Microplastic pollution has become a global environmental concern with detrimental effects on ecosystems and human health. Effective removal of microplastics from water sources is crucial to mitigate their impacts. Advanced oxidative processes (AOPs) have emerged as promising strategies for the degradation and elimination of microplastics. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the application of AOPs in the removal of microplastics from water. Various AOPs, such as photocatalysis, ozonation, and Fenton-like processes, have shown significant potential for microplastic degradation. These processes generate highly reactive species, such as hydroxyl radicals, which can break down microplastics into smaller fragments or even mineralize them into harmless byproducts. The efficiency of photocatalytic oxidation depends on several factors, including the choice of photocatalysts, reaction conditions, and the physicochemical properties of microplastics. Furthermore, this review discusses the challenges associated with photocatalytic oxidation, such as the need for optimization of operating parameters and the potential formation of harmful byproducts. Overall, photocatalytic oxidation offers a promising avenue for the removal of microplastics from water, contributing to the preservation of aquatic ecosystems and safeguarding human health. However, further research is needed to address the limitations and optimize the implementation of this process for effective and sustainable microplastic remediation.

The combination of the selective catalytic reduction technology with catalytic filters constitutes one of the most efficient ways for diesel engine exhaust treatment. In this paper, the development of catalytic ceramic papers as structured systems for the abatement of diesel soot particles is addressed. Ceramic papers were prepared by the dual-polyelectrolyte papermaking method, which is based on the conventional papermaking technique used for cellulosic papers, in which a portion of cellulosic fibers is replaced by ceramic ones. The deposition of Co and Ce as catalytic materials by the wet spray method on ceramic papers was studied for the development of structured catalysts using an ultrasonic nebulizer and different solvents. The use of alcohol–water solutions for the impregnation of cobalt generated smaller particles and a high dispersion of them on the ceramic fibers, greater than that obtained when pure water was employed. Temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) assays showed that the best catalytic performance was acquired with the catalysts generated with alcohol solvents, showing a maximum rate for soot combustion at a temperature close to 400 °C. The adequate soot combustion performance and the high thermal and catalytic stability make catalytic ceramic papers impregnated by the wet spray method, promising systems for their application as diesel particulate filters.

Despite being an indispensable medium for life and the environment, the deterioration of water quality continues to be a matter of great concern for the scientific community since this problem has generated the need to develop processes for water treatment. Among the wide variety of types of contaminants, the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) has become an issue of global concern, since they are present in water in low concentrations and can persist in the environment, bioaccumulate and be toxic to human health and aquatic biota. Among CECs, this review focuses on pharmaceutical removal; what favorable effects they have on human and animal health are widely recognized, but the consequences or risks associated with the constant disposal of these products to the environment, through the manufacturing process, consumption, biological excretion or inappropriate disposal, are an area under constant study. The presence of pharmaceuticals in water represents a high risk to the environment because they contain active ingredients that were designed to induce specific pharmacological effects but, when dissolved in water, reach non-target populations and cause undesirable toxicological effects. This review pays attention to the photoelectrochemical removal of paracetamol (PTM), as a model molecule, from water, employing different photoactive materials (TiO₂, BiVO₄, ZnO and tungsten oxides) and the main parameters affecting their performance. The main goal of the present review is to facilitate future researchers to design their experiments concerning the PEC processes for the degradation of pharmaceuticals, specially PTM, and the existing limitations of each system.