Abstract
Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs), including polychlorinated bisphenyls (PCBs), pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and dyes, are among the most hazardous pollutants found in water bodies and sediments. These substances pose serious threats to the environment and human health due to their high toxicity, long-range mobility, and bioaccumulation potential. Although various methods for degradation of organic pollutants exist, photocatalysis using ultraviolet (UV) and visible light (VIS) has emerged as a promising approach. However, its practical applications remain limited due to challenges such as the use of powdered photocatalysts, which complicates their removal and recycling in industrial settings, and the restricted solar availability of UV light (~4% of the solar spectrum). This review investigates the effectiveness of hybrid electrospun conductive polymer nanofibers on metal oxide photocatalysts such as TiO(2) and ZnO (including doped and co-doped forms) and fabricated via mono- or coaxial electrospinning, in the degradation of EOCs in water under visible light. Furthermore, strategies to enhance the fabrication of these hybrid electrospun conductive nanofibers as visible-light-responsive photocatalysts, such as the inclusion of dopants and/or plasmonic materials, are discussed. Finally, the current challenges and future research directions related to electrospun nanofibers combined with photocatalysts for the degradation of EOCs in water treatment applications are outlined.