Muhammad Arif
degradation, and improves catalyst reusability. This review critically discusses the mechanisms, material types, and factors controlling these processes, with emphasis on the influence of surface chemistry, electronic properties, and operational conditions. It also addresses gaps in previous studies, including poor standardization, lack of real wastewater evaluation, and limited environmental assessment. The novelty of this work lies in its comprehensive analysis linking removal performance with mineralization efficiency, toxicity reduction, and scalability while proposing green synthesis and standardized evaluation approaches. Overall, this review provides a concise yet critical framework for advancing efficient, eco-friendly, and practical adsorptive-photocatalytic technologies for the removal of CM from contaminated water systems.