SWOT analysis of photocatalytic materials towards large scale environmental remediation

After a long process of intense fundamental and scientific research, the question of the suitability of photocatalytic technology to address real environmental problems is still alive. Although photocatalysis has exceptional and unique properties, it still suffers from some technical problems that limit its large-scale transfer. Furthermore, part of the scientific community focuses on research impossible to apply in industry due to both costs and technical difficulties in large-scale transfer, and testing conditions are often very far from real ones. In this report, a SWOT analysis of photocatalytic technology is conducted in order to assess whether its main strengths can enable it to seize relevant opportunities for large-scale investment and commercialization of photocatalytic solutions, despite its weaknesses and external threats. Exploiting and extending all the properties of photocatalysis can transform a plain chemical process in a real and truly competitive technology.