What is it about?

This paper reviews oxidative polymerization strategies for wastewater treatment, providing a systematic summary of their underlying mechanisms, recent advances, and application potential. Unlike traditional advanced oxidation processes that rely on radicals for complete mineralization, oxidative polymerization primarily removes organic pollutants through polymer formation rather than full degradation, achieving high removal efficiency while markedly reducing energy consumption and facilitating resource recovery. The review categorizes the initiation mechanisms into radical pathways (organic and inorganic radicals) and non-radical pathways (high-valent metal oxides, electron transfer processes, complexes, and singlet oxygen). Enhancement strategies for oxidative polymerization are also discussed: radical pathways can be promoted via concentration synergistic regulation, redox potential tuning, and nanoconfinement, whereas non-radical pathways benefit from electronic modulation, microstructure engineering, and composite carrier design. Finally, the limitations of oxidative polymerization in organic pollutant removal are addressed, and future research directions are outlined, providing theoretical guidance for its application in sustainable wastewater resource recovery.

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Why is it important?

This review presents a comprehensive overview of oxidative polymerization strategies for wastewater treatment, summarizing their fundamental mechanisms, recent advances, and potential applications. Unlike conventional advanced oxidation processes that rely on radicals for complete mineralization, oxidative polymerization primarily removes organic pollutants through polymer formation rather than full degradation, achieving high removal efficiency while reducing energy consumption and promoting resource recovery. Initiation mechanisms are classified into radical pathways (organic and inorganic radicals) and non-radical pathways (high-valent metal oxides, electron transfer processes, complexes, and singlet oxygen). Enhancement strategies for these pathways are also discussed: radical pathways can be promoted via concentration synergistic regulation, redox potential tuning, and nanoconfinement, while non-radical pathways can be optimized through electronic modulation, microstructure engineering, and composite carrier design. Finally, the review highlights the limitations of oxidative polymerization in removing organic pollutants and outlines future research directions, providing a theoretical basis for its application in sustainable wastewater resource recovery.

Perspectives

In this review, I systematically summarized oxidative polymerization strategies in wastewater treatment, highlighting both radical and non-radical pathways and discussing corresponding enhancement strategies. I believe that, compared with conventional advanced oxidation processes, oxidative polymerization removes organic pollutants through polymer formation rather than complete mineralization, achieving high removal efficiency while significantly reducing energy consumption and promoting resource recovery. Additionally, my analysis of the limitations and future research directions provides a theoretical reference for further studies. I consider this article to offer substantial scientific value and practical guidance for the field of wastewater resource recovery.

huijie tu
Southwest University

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This page is a summary of: Progress in oxidative polymerization: Advancing resource recovery through polymerization pathways, Environmental chemistry and safety, March 2026, Tsinghua University Press,
DOI: 10.26599/ecs.2026.9600015.
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