Application of natural mineral materials in advanced oxidation processes for wastewater treatment: A review

In recent decades, natural mineral materials (NMMs) and NMMs-based materials as the emerging catalysts for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have progressively become a rising field of environmental research. Compared with chemically synthesized catalysts, NMMs are inexpensive and abundant, which makes them suitable to realize large-scale applications in practical production. This critical review classifies NMMs into five categories including Fe-based materials, Cu-based materials, Ti-based materials, other common metal materials and silicate mineral materials, whose crystallographic characteristics and applications in the field of AOPs for wastewater purification are systemically summarized. In addition, the catalytic degradation performance, catalytic mechanism and reusability of NMMs or NMMs-based materials are also briefly reviewed. We anticipate this review would highlight the strategy of using low-cost and abundant mineral resources as green materials for wastewater decontamination, and therefore broaden the application perspectives and values of NMMs.