Ruthenium-driven catalysis for sustainable water decontamination: a review.

The worldwide demand for clean water is rising worldwide, yet wastewater decontamination is actually limited by the presence of refractory organic and inorganic compounds, calling for more efficient treatment methods. Here we review the use of ruthenium-based catalysts for the removal or transformation of pollutants at a concentration range of 1.0–100 mg/L under acid or neutral conditions. We focus on catalytic oxidation and reduction, and on the environmental impact of ruthenium catalysts. We discuss electrooxidation, photocatalytic oxidation, activation of inert oxidants, hydrogen-assisted reduction, electroreduction, and N–O bond activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]