Photocatalytic-based Titanium Dioxide and Its Application in Reducing Organic Pollutant of River Water

Abstract

The Indonesian region of Sumatra has many rivers, and several of them are currently polluted by household and industrial wastes. Due to this, the river water looks cloudy and not clear. An easy method is needed to reduce the impact of this organic waste pollution. Photocatalysts are known for their ability to destroy organic pollutants which are environmentally friendly, cheap, and have the potential to be widely developed on a large scale. The principal mechanism of photocatalyst are generating the hydroxyl radicals (OH), which act as strong oxidants to mineralize organic contaminants. These principal photocatalyst mechanism includes the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH), which act as strong oxidants to mineralize organic contaminants. A handy sprayimmobilization method of TiO2 powders on the solid plastic buffer has been utilized in a destroying effluent system. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO2-immobilized transparent plastic were evaluated by the degradation of organic contaminant under sunlight irradiation. The titania catalyst have the most potential destroying impact of about 98% after 10 days of sun irradiation. This investigation proved the potential of titanium oxide in handling organic waste in rivers. Keywords: titanium dioxide, photocatalytic, water treatment, river