Xenobiotic micropollutant

Hydroquinone, an important xenobiotic micropollutant, could be detected by photoelectrochemical sensing due to a porphyrin/Au nanopariicles/graphene nanocomposite upon white-Ught illumination, hydroquinone was oxidized, generating photocurrent, the intensity of which increased with the increase of hydroquinone concentration [124]. 

The use of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to remove pollutants in water treatment applications has been widely studied and applied industrially, but it is still an area of active development. New problems derive from toxic, refractory and xenobiotic micropollutants and the increasing requirements in terms of energy efficiency and quality of water in several industrial wastewater streams. This chapter introduces the AOP technologies and discusses the possibilities offered by using catalysts in these methods, with selected examples regarding the industrial applicability of these AOPs and open questions about their further development. 

Most wastewater streams contain significant amounts of carcinogenic, toxic, mutagenic, or genotoxic substances in addition to conventional pollutants. These harmful compounds originate from industrial processes and households. Some of these toxic chemicals may also exhibit endocrine-disrupting effects. Therefore, organic micropollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), nonylphenol, xenobiotics, dioxins, pesticides, and heavy metals create important environmental health risks [3-7]. 

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