Enhancing Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals with Silver-based Catalysts: Systematic Review

The increase in pharmaceutical contaminants in the aquatic environment, originating from manufacturing processes and human excretion from incomplete metabolism, poses an alarming risk to the environment and for health. This results in the necessitating of the development of methods for effective water treatment. Traditional water treatment processes have been proven to be inadequate in the elimination of these pollutants. As a result, attention is being paid to the field of photocatalytic degradation, particularly on the utilization of silver-based catalysts. This systematic review delves intp silver-based materials used as a catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical compounds present in bodies of water. Silver-based catalysts, such as silver nanoparticles, silver-based semiconductors, and silver-based nanocomposites, are analyzed for their physicochemical properties that help enhance its catalytic performance. This review article explores the factors that influence the efficacy of silver-based catalysts, such as their crystal structure, morphology, surface area, and particle size. Furthermore, this review highlights silver-based photocatalysts’ recent advancements, challenges, and some comparative analyses on other catalysts. By synthesizing the latest studies, this review article presents the potential and limitations of silver-based photocatalysts to help in guiding future research directions and applications in environmental remediation, specifically in solving the problems ofpollutants in water.