Recent advances and perspectives of g-C3N4-based materials for photocatalytic dyes degradation.

Recent developments in photocatalysis of industrial effluents ։ A review and example of phenolic compounds degradation.

Several research studies have ranked indoor pollution among the top environmental risks to public health in recent years. Good indoor air quality is an essential component of a healthy indoor environment and significantly affects human health and well-being. Poor air quality in such environments may cause respiratory disease for millions of pupils around the globe and, in the current pandemic-dominated era, require ever more urgent actions to tackle the burden of its impacts. The poor indoor quality in such environments could result from poor management, operation, maintenance, and cleaning. Pupils are a different segment of the population from adults in many ways, and they are more exposed to the poor indoor environment: They breathe in more air per unit weight and are more sensitive to heat/cold and moisture. Thus, their vulnerability is higher than adults, and poor conditions may affect proper development. However, a healthy learning environment can reduce the absence rate, improves test scores, and enhances pupil/teacher learning/teaching productivity. In this article, we analyzed recent literature on indoor air quality and health in schools, with the primary focus on ventilation, thermal comfort, productivity, and exposure risk. This study conducts a comprehensive review to summarizes the existing knowledge to highlight the latest research and solutions and proposes a roadmap for the future school environment. In conclusion, we summarize the critical limitations of the existing studies, reveal insights for future research directions, and propose a roadmap for further improvements in school air quality. More parameters and specific data should be obtained from in-site measurements to get a more in-depth understanding at contaminant characteristics. Meanwhile, site-specific strategies for different school locations, such as proximity to transportation routes and industrial areas, should be developed to suit the characteristics of schools in different regions. The socio-economic consequences of health and performance effects on children in classrooms should be considered. There is a great need for more comprehensive studies with larger sample sizes to study on environmental health exposure, student performance, and indoor satisfaction. More complex mitigation measures should be evaluated by considering energy efficiency, IAQ and health effects. • Most schools worldwide have basic natural ventilation systems; typically, inadequate for meeting the needs of pupils. • Exposure to various air pollutants in school buildings risks severe damage to pupils' health. • Pupils tend to feel comfortable in indoor climates that are cooler than environments where adults feel thermally neutral. • Studies show that reduced classroom air quality will cause a reduction in cognitive performance of pupils. • There is limited insight demonstrating detailed energy use profiles in school buildings. 

Indoor air quality and health in schools: A critical review for developing the roadmap for the future school environment

Kinetic modeling and reaction mechanism of toluene and by-products in photocatalytic oxidation reactor

Various technologies have been developed towards air pollution control and mitigate its adverse impact on human health and ecological environments. Photocatalysis is a promising technology because it can decompose gaseous pollutants under ambient conditions. Although photocatalytic air purification has been extensively investigated, insufficient attention is paid to the underlying degradation mechanism. This review focuses on the reaction mechanisms at a gas–solid interface for improving photocatalytic degradation efficiency. Firstly, the commonly used detection methods for gas–solid phase photocatalytic reactions are summarized. Recent research efforts toward increasing the adsorption and activation of pollutants and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are analyzed. Secondly, the degradation and conversion pathways of typical air pollutants (nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, and toluene) are reviewed. Then, tuning the reaction processes for air pollutant decomposition is discussed according to the reaction thermodynamics and kinetics, and the approaches of intermediate inhibition and mineralization enhancement are outlined. The synergistic mechanisms of photocatalytic decomposition to air pollutant mixtures are also introduced and discussed. Finally, the status and the challenges of mechanistic research on photocatalytic air purification are critically discussed and future research directions are also proposed for its practical application.

Jianjun Niu

Papers

Kinetic modeling and reaction mechanism of toluene and by-products in photocatalytic oxidation reactor

Kinetic and reaction mechanism of generated by-products in a photocatalytic oxidation reactor: Model development and validation.