Visible light oxidation of organic pollutants in aqueous environment

Photochemistry is the basis of the life circle on earth and whereby we derive our energy from the sun. The dye sensitised solar cell attempts to mimic these systems utilising visible solar radiation in a cyclic manner to generate electricity. During this process, species are generated which possess highly oxidative properties which can be used to perform chemical reactions similar to oxidative sterilisation. The byproduct of such a process produces hydrogen and is shown to allow the visible light degradation of organic pollutants and the coupled production of hydrogen gas. A further extension is the use of the output as a sensor for both the concentration and species of organic pollutants present in a waste stream.