The generation of hazardous industrial effluents is a serious problem experienced by nations throughout the world. There remains however, a need for new processes to reduce the overall environmental impact of industrial synthetic chemistry. The problem of effluent generation may be approached in two manners. Firstly new production technologies could be adopted which could reduce effluent generation by adopting catalytic processes, which are non-polluting. The other approach would be the application of novel waste treatment technologies. Techniques such as photocatalytic and adsorption have been applied to both these requirements with some success. Adsorption hold promise in the treatment of wastewater, as it is inexpensive, simply designed, easy to handle, and provides sludge-free cleaning operations. The development of low-cost alternative adsorbents has been the focus of recent research. Another technique photocatalytic degradation is also considered a favoured, promising, cleaner, and greener technology for the removal of toxic organic and inorganic pollutants from water and wastewater. Both techniques offer good potential for removal of organic pollutants from wastewater.