Analysis of scientific and technological trends in the incorporation of activated carbon in advanced oxidation processes-a bibliometric study

There is high interest in the development of water pollution remediation technologies. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are a promising alternative for the degradation of organic compounds; however, these technologies have been limited mainly by high operating costs and, in some cases, by forming byproducts, which can be more hazardous than the original pollutants. Activated carbon (AC) is a porous material that can be combined with AOP systems in various ways, given its adsorbent and catalytic characteristics. In addition, AC is a flexible, adaptable, and low-cost material. This article presents a bibliometric analysis of AOPs incorporating CA in scientific research and patents; the Scopus database was used to obtain patents and Orbit Express for patents. The most investigated AOPs incorporating AC are photocatalysis processes, Fenton processes, persulfate-based AOP, electrochemical processes, and ozonation. However, it is the persulfate-based AOP that has seen the greatest growth in scientific publications in recent years; this great interest can be related to the synergy that the process has with AC, allowing the degradation of contaminants via radical and non-radical. According to the maturity analysis of scientific publications, photocatalysis, Fenton, electrochemistry, ozonation, and persulfate technologies are in a growth stage and will reach maturity in 2034, 2042, 2040, 2034, and 2035, respectively; these technologies coupled with AC are expected to generate a greater number of patents when they reach maturity.