Degradation of Phenol Using Sonolysis and Photolysis by TiO2/RHAC Catalyst and Analysis with Spectrophotometer UV-VIS and HPLC

This study focuses on the degradation of phenol in aqueous solutions using photolysis and sonolysis methods. It investigates the impact of catalyst mass, types of light (UV-A, UV-C, and visible light), types of catalyst (RHAC, TiO2, and TiO2/RHAC), and processing time on phenol degradation. The phenol solutions are analyzed before and after degradation using Spectrophotometer UV-Vis and HPLC. The research aims to understand the factors influencing phenol degradation and provide a basis for further studies to enhance the efficiency of phenol removal. Results show significant improvements in degradation percentages of phenol by using TiO2/RHAC as the catalyst. Sonolysis achieves a degradation of 20.82% with a catalyst, which increases to 50.57% with the catalyst. Photolysis achieves a degradation of 29.06%, which rises to 91.99% with the catalyst. The highest degradation percentage is achieved using UV-A light for 5 hours with a catalyst mass of 30 mg of TiO2/RHAC catalyst. HPLC analysis confirms a decreased phenol concentration and the presence of intermediate compounds. The TiO2/RHAC catalyst demonstrates the promising potential for efficient phenol degradation in aqueous solutions.