Progress in oxidative polymerization: Advancing resource recovery through polymerization pathways

When treating wastewater, traditional AOPs mainly break down pollutants into harmless substances completely with radical chain reactions. However, the long-term use of these methods brings problems in sustainable development. They use too much energy and produce large amounts of carbon emissions. Researchers have carried out recent studies on oxidation-polymerization ways. These studies show that polymerization reactions work better than mineralization processes. They can remove organic pollutants effectively. They also cut down energy use greatly and help realize the reuse of resources. This paper summarizes the working principles and newest progress of polymerization reactions. These reactions are started by different active substances. The content includes radical ways like organic and inorganic radicals. It also includes non-radical ways such as high-valent metal oxides, electron transfer processes, complexes and singlet oxygen. Additionally, this paper puts forward methods to improve polymerization reactions. These methods come from two aspects. One is radical ways including concentration synergistic regulation, redox potential and nanoconfinement. The other is non-radical ways including electron regulation, microstructure regulation and composite carrier design. Finally, this paper talks about the difficulties and limits of polymerization ways in removing organic pollutants and lists future research directions in this area. It aims to offer reference and theoretical help for the later use of oxidative polymerization ways in resource recovery.