The debate on whether photocatalysis can reach full maturity at commercial level as an effective and economical process for treatment and purification of water and wastewater has recently intensified. Despite a bloom of scientific investigations in the last 30 years, particularly with regards to innovative photocatalytic materials, photocatalysis has so far seen a few industrial applications. Regardless of the points of view, it has been realized that research on reactor design and modeling are now equally urgent to match the extensive research carried out on innovative photocatalytic materials. In reality, the development of photocatalytic reactors has advanced steadily in terms of modeling and reactor design over the last two decades, though this topic has captured a smaller specialized audience. In this critical review, we introduce the latest developments on photocatalytic reactors for water treatment from an engineering perspective. The focus is on the modeling and design of photocatalytic reactors for water treatment at pilot- or at greater scale. Photocatalytic reactors utilizing both natural sunlight and UV irradiation sources are comprehensively discussed. The most promising photoreactor designs and models are examined giving key design guidelines. Other engineering considerations, such as operation, cost analysis, patents, and several industrial applications of photocatalytic reactors for water treatment are also presented. The dissemination of key photocatalytic reactor design principles among the scientific community and the water industry is currently one of the greatest obstacles in translating PWT research into widespread real-world application.

关于光催化作为一种​​有效且经济的水和废水处理和净化过程是否可以在商业水平上达到完全成熟的争论最近愈演愈烈。尽管在过去的 30 年里进行了大量的科学研究，特别是在创新光催化材料方面，但迄今为止光催化已经看到了一些工业应用。不管观点如何，人们已经意识到反应器设计和建模的研究现在同样紧迫，以匹配对创新光催化材料进行的广泛研究。实际上，在过去的 20 年中，光催化反应器的开发在建模和反应器设计方面一直在稳步推进，尽管该主题吸引了较少的专业观众。在这次批判性审查中，我们从工程角度介绍了用于水处理的光催化反应器的最新进展。重点是用于中试或更大规模水处理的光催化反应器的建模和设计。综合讨论了利用自然阳光和紫外线照射源的光催化反应器。审查了最有前途的光反应器设计和模型，并给出了关键的设计指南。还介绍了其他工程考虑因素，例如操作、成本分析、专利和用于水处理的光催化反应器的几个工业应用。在科学界和水工业中传播关键的光催化反应器设计原则是目前将 PWT 研究转化为广泛的现实世界应用的最大障碍之一。