Graphitic Carbon Nitride as Visible-Light Photocatalyst Boosting Ozonation in Wastewater Treatment

Light can boost ozone efficiency in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), either by direct ozone photolysis with UV light or by using a photocatalyst that can be excited with UV-Vis or solar light. The present review summarizes literature data on the combination of ozone and the g-C(3)N(4) photocatalyst for the degradation of probe molecules in water, including oxalic, p-hydroxybenzoic and oxamic acids as well as ciprofloxacin and parabens. g-C(3)N(4) is a metal-free visible-light photocatalyst based on abundant elements that establishes a synergistic effect with ozone, the efficiency of the combination of the photocatalysis and ozonation being higher than the sum of the two treatments independently. Available data indicate that this synergy derives from the higher efficiency in the generation of hydroxyl radicals due to the efficient electron quenching by O(3) of photogenerated conduction band electrons in the g-C(3)N(4) photocatalyst. Given the wide use of ozonizers in water treatment, it is proposed that their implementation with g-C(3)N(4) photocatalysis could also boost ozone efficiency in the AOPs of real waste waters.