Nanomaterials are showing great potential for the improvement of water treatment technologies. In recent years, catalysis and photocatalysis processes using gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) have received great attention due to their effectiveness in degrading and mineralizing organic compounds. This paper aims to review and summarize the recently published works and R & D progress in the field of photocatalytic oxidation of various water pollutants such as toxic organic compounds (i.e. azo dyes and phenols) by Au-NPs/TiO2 under solar, visible and UV irradiation. Extensive research which has focused on the enhancement of photocatalysis by modification of TiO2 employing Au-NPs is also reviewed. Moreover, the effects of various operating parameters on the photocatalytic activity of these catalysts, such as size and loading amount of Au-NPs, pH and calcination, are discussed. The support type, loading amount and particle size of deposited Au-NPs are the most important parameters for Au/TiO2 catalytic activity. Our study showed in particular that the modification of TiO2, including semiconductor coupling, can increase the photoactivity of Au/TiO2. In contrast, doping large gold NPs can mask or block the TiO2 active sites, reducing photocatalytic activity. The optimized loading amount of Au-NP varied for each experimental condition. Finally, research trends and prospects for the future are briefly discussed.

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