**4. Conclusions**

This chapter has summarized the recent study of the author in an attempt to learn more about supported catalyst framework where clay mineral sepiolite is used as a support material for ZnO nanocatalysts. These photocatalysts were prepared and characterized by XRD, BET, SEM (EDX), XPS and DRUV techniques. EDX, mapping and XPS analysis evidence the existence of ZnO nanoparticles. DZnO sizes do not exhibit significant differences depending on the ZnO loading concentrations. Moreover, supported catalysts exhibit an absorption edge similar to 0.25 M ZnO. The pronounced performance of the supported catalysts is attributed to the highly dispersed ZnO nanoparticles within the ZnO-SEP matrix. Also, such systems can be readily separated from the suspension without filtration, providing an important, practical advantage in the usage of sepiolite supported catalysts.

Future studies will focus on the synthesis of new supported catalyst systems and their applications in energy and environmental issues.
