Application of titanium dioxide for the photocatalytic degradation of macro- and micro-plastics: A review

The advancement in industries and modern technology has been escorted by an expansion in the utilization of chemicals to obtain plastic-based products. Increased plastic production and disposal have greatly affected the environment and living organisms globally. Macro and micro-plastics have a persistent nature, and their natural degradation takes years. Transport, impact, behavior, and degradation have attracted growing research attention. However, a review study on titanium dioxide (TiO2) based photocatalytic degradation of macro and micro-plastics has not been summarized. Herein, a brief overview of the TiO2 application for macro and micro-plastics degradation has been summarized. Different preparation methods for TiO2 synthesis and its modification for plastics decomposition have been presented. The degradation efficiency and applied system limitations with future research directions are proposed. Nevertheless, the existing knowledge about the TiO2 application for macro and micro-plastics is still limited. This work provides a good reference for plastic pollution control.