Applications of Hollow Carbon-Based Materials in Heterogeneous Advanced Oxidation Processes for Antibiotic Degradation: A Critical Review.

The expanding pharmaceutical industry has led to the widespread detection of antibiotics in various aquatic environments, posing a significant ecological risk and threatening public health. Heterogeneous advanced oxidation water treatment processes (AOPs) for pollutant removal by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) offer a promising solution. Currently, the pivotal challenge lies in the development of efficient and green catalysts. Hollow carbon-based materials (HCMs) have attracted extensive attention in inducing heterogeneous AOPs for antibiotic removal due to their unique physicochemical properties. The hierarchical porous and hollow structure endows it with significant advantages such as the ability to efficiently enrich reactants, provide a large number of active sites, and have a flexible and adjustable electronic structure, demonstrating excellent catalytic activity and stability. This review makes a comprehensive survey of the progress of HCMs in the removal of antibiotics in heterogeneous AOPs in recent years, focusing on their structural design, synthesis methods, and the vital mechanisms of performance optimization, such as cavity confinement effects. In addition, their application as heterogeneous catalysts in the degradation of antibiotics in AOPs, including persulfate (PS) activation, photo-Fenton catalysis, and catalytic ozonation, was discussed, with the underlying reaction mechanisms revealed. Finally, we outline future research directions and challenges faced by hollow carbon-based catalysts in heterogeneous AOPs, offering valuable insights for further development of water treatment strategies.