The Role of Clay Mineral-Derived Photocatalysts in Insights of Remediation

Clay minerals have advantages to be used as supports for obtaining new catalysts, in which colloidal and surface characteristics play a significant role. In addition to their favorable physicochemical properties, clay minerals allow different modifications to form structures with broad photochemical capabilities. This review collects pertinent works of semiconductor nanoparticles loaded onto clay minerals and their potential application in hazardous contaminant photodegradation. Web of Science, Scopus, and Science Direct were used for bibliographic research databases. The sol–gel method is the most frequent technique used to obtain semiconductors immobilized onto clay minerals, but other methods have also proven helpful in forming these structures. Thence, the types of synthesis and different parameters that influence their photocatalytic efficiency will be discussed. Pillared clay minerals have been applied to photo-oxidation reactions involving photodecomposition of environmental contaminants. The homogeneous dispersion of nanoparticles on the surface of clay minerals, reduction of fine particles, its non-toxicity, and the generation of a suitable suspension for photocatalytic reactions may be the main characteristics of these inorganic supports to obtain successful photoactive materials.