Abstract
The applicability of the photocatalytic detoxification, using titanium dioxide, for the treatment of wastewater from Ras Lanuf Petrochemical Complex was studied. The conditions of the photocatalytic degradation were optimized using the model compound potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP). The disappearance of KHP was followed by chemical oxygen demand (COD) determination of irradiated solutions by sunlight. The optimal catalyst concentration was found at 3g/l of Degussa P25 and 10g/l of Sachtleben Hombikat UV 100. The best degradation rate was obtained at pH 5.0 for the two catalysts types. The disappearance of KHP in the dark, using Sachtleben Hombikat UV100, was due to the adsorption of the pollutant on the catalyst surface. The complete degradation of organic pollutant in Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Processing Co. (RASCO) wastewater was reached after 6 hours irradiation using the optimal reaction conditions. The photonic efficiency decreased at low light intensities (0.311-2.29 µmol photon s⁻¹) with 1-0.243 and at higher light intensities (2.29-2.919 µmol photon s⁻¹) with 1-0.94.