Recent advancement in Photo-Fenton like processes for decontamination of wastewater: A short review

The Photo-Fenton-like (PFL) process has emerged as a highly effective advanced oxidation technology for wastewater decontamination due to its ability to generate hydroxyl radicals for degrading persistent organic pollutants. Recent advancements have focused on overcoming the limitations of conventional homogeneous Photo-Fenton processes, particularly their dependence on acidic conditions, narrow light response, and challenges in catalyst recovery. Novel heterogeneous catalysts, including iron-based nanocomposites, doped metal oxides, carbon-supported materials, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have demonstrated enhanced stability, reusability, and efficiency under visible and even solar light irradiation. Furthermore, strategies such as coupling PFL with adsorption, membrane separation, ozonation, and electrochemical systems have improved degradation kinetics and broadened the scope of treatable contaminants. Despite these promising developments, issues such as catalyst leaching, radical scavenging in complex wastewater matrices, and long-term performance remain critical barriers to industrial application. This review highlights recent progress in catalyst design, process integration, while identifying future research needs aimed at enhancing sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and large-scale implementation in real wastewater treatment.