Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of chlortetracycline using Ti/TiO2 nanostructured electrodes deposited by means of a Pulsed Laser Deposition process

Photoelectrocatalytic Processes of TiO2 Film: The Dominating Factors for the Degradation of Methyl Orange and the Understanding of Mechanism

Various thicknesses of TiO2 films were prepared by the sol-gel method and spin-coating process. These prepared TiO2 films exhibit thickness-dependent photoelectrochemical performance. The 1.09-μm-thickTiO2 film with 20 spin-coating layers (TiO2-20) exhibits the highest short circuit current of 0.21 mAcm-2 and open circuit voltage of 0.58 V among all samples and exhibits a low PEC reaction energy barrier and fast kinetic process. Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of methyl orange (MO) by TiO2 films was carried out under UV light. The roles of bias, film thickness, pH value, and ion properties were systematically studied because they are the four most important factors dominating the PEC performance of TiO2 films. The optimized values of bias, film thickness, and pH are 1.0 V, 1.09 μm, and 12, respectively, which were obtained according to the data of the PEC degradation of MO. The effect of ion properties on the PEC efficiency of TiO2-20 was also analyzed by using halide as targeted ions. The "activated" halide ions significantly promoted the PEC efficiency and the order was determined as Br > Cl > F. The PEC efficiency increased with increasing Cl content, up until the optimized value of 30 × 10-3 M. Finally, a complete degradation of MO by TiO2-20 was achieved in 1.5 h, with total optimization of the four factors: 1.0 V bias, 1.09-μm-thick, pH 12, and 30 × 10-3 M Cl ion content. The roles of reactive oxygen species and electric charge of photoelectrodes were also explored based on photoelectrochemical characterizations and membrane-separated reactors. Hydrogen peroxide, superoxide radical, and hydroxyl radical were found responsible for the decolorization of MO.

Photocatalytic removal of ceftriaxone from wastewater using TiO2/MgO under ultraviolet radiation

Pharmaceutical compounds are among the environmental contaminants that cause pollution of water resources and thereby threaten ecosystem services and the environmental health of the past decades. Antibiotics are categorized as emerging pollutants due to their persistence in the environment that are difficult to remove by conventional wastewater treatment. Ceftriaxone is one of the multiple antibiotics whose removal from wastewater has not been fully investigated. In this study, TiO₂/MgO (5% MgO) the efficiency of photocatalyst nanoparticles in removing ceftriaxone was analyzed by XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, BET, EDS, and FESEM. The results were compared with UVC, TiO₂/UVC, and H₂O₂/UVC photolysis processes to evaluate the effectiveness of the selected methods. Based on these results, the highest removal efficiency of ceftriaxone from synthetic wastewater was 93.7% at the concentration of 400 mg/L using TiO₂/MgO nano photocatalyst with an HRT of 120 min. This study confirmed that TiO₂/MgO photocatalyst nanoparticles efficiently removed ceftriaxone from wastewater. Future studies should focus on the optimization of reactor conditions and improvements of the reactor design to obtain higher removal of ceftriaxone from wastewater.

Efficient, fast and robust degradation of chlortetracycline in wastewater catalyzed by recombinant Arthromyces ramosus peroxidase

Chlortetracycline (CTC), a widely used antibiotic, is recalcitrant and ubiquitous in the environment. Enzymatic degradation of CTC is an economical and efficient bioremediation method. In this work, recombinant Arthromyces ramosus peroxidase (rARP) at a concentration of 3.13 × 10^-9 M was used to catalyze rapid degradation of CTC in water. The second-order rate constants of rARP showed up to 62-fold catalytic efficiency of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) toward CTC. The degradation half-life of CTC at the concentrations of 2 and 40 mg L^-1 in wastewater under the rARP catalysis was, respectively, 5.3 and 5.7 min at 25 °C, and 2.7 and 3.1 min at 40 °C, which were up to 15-fold and 111-fold faster than HRP and laccase, respectively, but use of 3 % the amount of rARP as HRP. rARP catalyzed degradation of CTC at 2-40 mg L^-1 in wastewater completed in 20-24 min, and its catalytic efficiency varied within only 2-fold at 25-40 °C. rARP showed only 2-3-fold discrepancy of catalytic efficiency among pH 5.0, 7.5 and 9.0. CTC under rARP catalysis underwent demethylation and oxidation to form nontoxic N-dedimethyl-9-hydroxy-CTC. The high catalytic efficiency of rARP agreed with a short distance between rARP's δN-His⁵⁶ and CTC's dimethylamine N as indicated by docking simulation. rARP is a useful enzyme for CTC bioremediation.

Metronidazole photocatalytic degradation by zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized in watermelon peel extract; Advanced optimization, simulation and numerical models using machine learning applications

Antibiotics in water systems and wastewater are among the greatest major public health problem and it is global environmental issues. Herein a novel approach for the photocatalytic degradation of metronidazole (MTZ) by using eco-green zinc oxide nanoparticles (EG-ZnO NPs) which biosynthesised using watermelon peels extracts has been investigated. Mathematical prediction models using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), artificial neural networks (ANN) and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to determine the optimal conditions for the degradation process. The FESEM analysis revealed that EG-ZnO NPs was white with a spherical shape and size between 40 and 88 nm. The simulation process for the mathematical prediction model revealed that the best validation performance was 55.35 recorded at epoch 2, the coefficient (R²) was 0.9967 for training data, as detected using ANN analysis. The best operating parameters for MTZ degradation was predicted using RSM to be: 170 mg L^-1 of EG-ZnO NPs, 20.61 mg 100 mL^-1 of MTZ, 10 min exposure time, and a pH of 5, with 77.48 vs 78.14% corresponding to the predicted and empirically measured respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of MTZ was fitted with pseudo-first-order kinetic (R² > 0.90). MTZ lost the antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) after degradation with EG-ZnO NPs at the optimal conditions as determined in the optimization process. These findings reflect the important role ANFIS and ANN in predicting and optimising the efficacy of engineered nanomaterials, including EG-ZnO NPs, for antibiotic degradation.

Efficient degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by photocatalytic ozonation over Bi2WO6

Photocatalytic ozonation technique for wastewater treatment has received much attention for their efficient capability in the mineralization of persistent organic pollutants. In this study, nanostructured Bi₂WO₆ was prepared by hydrothermal method and applied in the photocatalytic ozonation process for tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation under simulated solar light irradiation. Bi₂WO₆ triggered an effective synergy between photocatalysis and ozonation, and it showed a good activity and adaptability in the degradation of organic compounds. Besides, the influence of experimental factors on the total organic carbon removal (including catalyst dosage, ozone concentration, initial pH, reaction temperature and coexisting ions) was also investigated comprehensively. Spin-trapping electron paramagnetic resonance measurements and quenching experiments demonstrated that O₂^-, OH, ¹O₂ and h⁺ contributed to TCH degradation. The possible degradation pathways of TCH were proposed by identifying the intermediates with liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy.

Adsorption of Reactive Black 5 Dye from Aqueous Solutions by Carbon Nanotubes and its Electrochemical Regeneration Process

: Removal of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye from aqueous solutions was investigated by adsorption onto Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs). A Taguchi orthogonal design including pH, initial RB5 concentration, contact time, and CNTs dose, was used in 16 experiments. The results showed that all four factors were statistically significant, and the optimum conditions for both adsorbents were as follows: pH of 3, adsorbent dose of 1000 mg/L, RB5 concentrations of 25 mg/L, and contact time of 60 min. An equilibrium study by Isotherm Fitting Tool (ISOFIT) software showed that Langmuir isotherm provided the best fit for RB5 adsorption by CNTs. The maximum predicted adsorption capacities for the dye were obtained as 231.84 and 829.20 mg/g by MWCNTs and SWCNTs, respectively. The results also indicated that the adsorption capacity of SWCNTs was about 1.21 folds higher than that of MWCNTs. Studies of electrochemical regeneration were conducted, and the results demonstrated that RB5-loaded MWCNTs and SWCNTs could be regenerated (86.5% and 77.3%, respectively) using the electrochemical process. Adsorbent regeneration was mostly due to the degradation of the dye by the attack of active species such as chlorate, H2O2, and, •OH, which were generated by the electrochemical oxidation process with Ti/RuO2-IrO2-TiO2 anodes. The results of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that acetic acid, 3-chlorobenzenesulfonamide, and 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid were produced after adsorbent regeneration by the electrochemical process in the solution of regeneration. The adsorption and regeneration cycles showed that the electrochemical process with Ti/RuO2-IrO2-TiO2 and graphite is a good alternative method for the regeneration of CNTs and simultaneous degradation of the dye.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Aqueous Rhodamine 6G Using Supported TiO2 Catalysts. A Model for the Removal of Organic Contaminants From Aqueous Samples

As a model for the removal of complex organic contaminants from industrial water effluents, the heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamin 6G was studied using TiO₂-derived catalysts, incorporated in water as suspension as well as supported in raschig rings. UV and Visible light were tested for the photo-degradation process. TiO₂ catalysts were synthesized following acid synthesis methodology and compared against commercial TiO₂ catalyst samples (Degussa P25 and Anatase). The bandgap (E_g) of the TiO₂ catalysts was determined, were values of 2.97 and 2.98 eV were obtained for the material obtained using acid and basic conditions, respectively, and 3.02 eV for Degussa P25 and 3.18 eV for anatase commercial TiO₂ samples. Raschig rings-supported TiO₂ catalysts display a good photocatalytic performance when compared to equivalent amounts of TiO₂ in aqueous suspension, even though a large surface area of TiO₂ material is lost upon support. This is particularly evident by taking into account that the characteristics (XRD, RD, Eg) and observed photodegradative performance of the synthesized catalysts are in good agreement with the commercial TiO₂ samples, and that the RH6G photodegradation differences observed with the light sources considered are minimal in the presence of TiO₂ catalysts. The presence of additives induce changes in the kinetics and efficiency of the TiO₂-catalyzed photodegradation of Rh6G, particularly when white light is used in the process, pointing toward a complex phenomenon, however the stability of the supported photocatalytic systems is acceptable in the presence of the studied additives. In line with this, the magnitude of the chemical oxygen demand, indicates that, besides the different complex photophysical processes taking place, the endproducts of the considered photocatalytic systems appears to be similar.

Towards visible light driven photoelectrocatalysis for water treatment: Application of a FTO/BiVO4/Ag2S heterojunction anode for the removal of emerging pharmaceutical pollutants

Pharmaceuticals have been classified as emerging water pollutants which are recalcitrant in nature. In the quest to find a suitable technique in removing them from contaminated water, photoelectrocatalytic oxidation method has attracted much attention in recent years. This report examined the feasibility of degrading ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole through photoelectrocatalytic oxidation using FTO-BiVO4/Ag2S with p-n heterojunction as anode. BiVO4/Ag2S was prepared through electrodeposition and successive ionic layer adsorption/reaction on FTO glass. Structural and morphological studies using XRD, SEM, EDS and diffusive reflectance UV-Vis confirmed the successful construction of p-n heterojunction of BiVO4/Ag2S. Electrochemical techniques were used to investigate enhanced charge separation in the binary electrode. The FTO-BiVO4/Ag2S electrode exhibited the highest photocurrent response (1.194 mA/cm-2) and longest electron lifetime (0.40 ms) than both pristine BiVO4 and Ag2S electrodes which confirmed the reduction in recombination of charge carriers in the electrode. Upon application of the prepared FTO-BiVO4/Ag2S in photoelectrocatalytic removal of ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole, percentage removal of 80% and 86% were achieved respectively with a low bias potential of 1.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl) within 120 min. The electrode possesses good stability and reusability. The results obtained revealed BiVO4/Ag2S as a suitable photoanode for removing recalcitrant pharmaceutical molecules in water.

Photo-Assisted Removal of Tetracycline Using Bio-Nanocomposite-Immobilized Alginate Beads

In the present study, we report an efficient method for tetracycline (TC) removal from contaminated wastewater using alginate beads, immobilized with bio nanocomposite (BNC) consisting of Fe₃O₄ (iron oxide) and TiO₂ (titanium dioxide) nanoparticles along with dead biomass of TC-resistant bacteria Acinetobacter sp. Chemically synthesized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and commercially available TiO₂ (P₂₅) nanoparticles were combined to form nanocomposite followed by encapsulation within alginate beads along with heat-killed biomass of Acinetobactersp. for the efficient degradation and adsorption of the target pollutant. The primary characterization of chemically synthesized nanoparticles was carried out with Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The batch studies for TC removal were performed by varying the reaction parameters such as bead weight, initial TC concentration, and pH in a photoreactor with UV-C irradiation. TC concentration of 10 mg/L, bead weight 10 g, and pH 6 were fixed as the optimum condition where 98 ± 0.5% of TC was removed from the solution. The possible removal mechanism was investigated with the help of UV-visible, total organic carbon, oxidation-reduction potential, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy analyses. The applicability of the process was successfully tested with the natural water systems spiked with TC at 10 mg/L. To assess the ecotoxic effects of the treated effluents, the cell viability assay was performed with the algal strains, Chlorella, and Scenedesmussp. and the bacterial strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosaand Escherichia coli. Finally, the reusability of the BNC bead was successfully established up to the 4th cycle.

Activation of persulfate by homogeneous and heterogeneous iron catalyst to degrade chlortetracycline in aqueous solution

This study investigates the removal of chlortetracycline (CTC) antibiotic using sulfate radical-based oxidation process. Sodium persulfate (PS) was used as a source to generate sulfate radicals by homogeneous (Fe²⁺) and heterogeneous (zero valent iron, ZVI) iron as a catalyst. Increased EDTA concentration was used to break the CTC-Fe metal complexes during CTC estimation. The influence of various parameters, such as PS concentration, iron (Fe²⁺ and ZVI) concentration, PS/iron molar ratio, and pH were studied and optimum conditions were reported. CTC removal was increased with increasing concentration of PS and iron at an equal molar ratio of PS/Fe²⁺ and PS/ZVI processes. PS/Fe²⁺ and PS/ZVI oxidation processes at 1:2 (500 μM PS and 1000 μM) molar ratio showed 76% and 94% of 1 μM CTC removal in 2 h. Further increased molar ratio 1:2 onwards, PS/Fe²⁺ process showed a slight increase in CTC degradation whereas in PS/ZVI process showed similar degradation to 1:2 (PS/Fe) ratio at constant PS 500 μM concentration. Slower activation of persulfate which indirectly indicates the slower generation of sulfate radicals in PS/ZVI process showed higher degradation efficiency of CTC. The detected transformation products and their estrogenicity results stated that sulfate radicals seem to be efficient in forming stable and non-toxic end products.

Degradation of Penicillin G by heat activated persulfate in aqueous solution

We used Heat Activated of Persulfate (HAP) to decompose Penicillin G (PEN G) in aqueous solution. The effect of pH (3-11), temperature (313-353 K), and initial concentration of Sodium Persulfate (SPS) (0.05-0.5 mM) on the decomposition level of PEN G were investigated. The residue of PEN G was determined by spectrophotometry at the wavelength of 290 nm. Also, the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) was measured in each experiment. The Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis was utilized for surveying the mineralization of PEN G. In addition, based on Arrhenius equation, the activation energy of PEN G decomposition was calculated. The results indicated that the maximum PEN G removal rate was obtained at pH 5 and by increasing the doses of SPS from 0.05 to 0.5 mM, the PEN G decomposition was enhanced. It was found that an increase in temperature is accompanied by an increase in removal efficiency of PEN G. The activation energy of the studied process was determined to be 94.8 kJ mol^-1, suggesting that a moderate activation energy is required for PEN G decomposition. The TOC measurements indicate that the HAP can efficiently mineralize PEN G. Besides, the presence of the scavengers significantly suppressed the HAP process to remove the PEN G. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that using HAP process can be a suitable method for decomposing of PEN G in aqueous solutions.

Photosonochemical degradation of butyl-paraben: optimization, toxicity and kinetic studies

The objective of the present work is to evaluate the potential of a photosonolysis process for the degradation of butyl-paraben (BPB). After 120 min of treatment time, high removal of BPB was achieved by the photosonolysis (US/UV) process (88.0±0.65%) compared to the photochemical (UV) and the conventional ultrasonication (US) processes. Several factors such as calorimetric power, treatment time, pH and initial concentration of BPB were investigated. Using a 2(4) factorial matrix, the treatment time and the calorimetric power are the main parameters influencing the degradation rate of BPB. Subsequently, a central composite design methodology has been investigated to determine the optimal experimental parameters for BPB degradation. The US/UV process applied under optimal operating conditions (at a calorimetric power of 40 W during 120 min and under pH7) is able to oxidize around 99.2±1.4% of BPB and to record 43.3% of mineralization. During the US/UV process, BPB was mainly transformed into 1 hydroxy BPB, dihydroxy BPB, hydroquinone and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. Microtox biotests (Vibrio fisheri) showed that the treated effluent was not toxic. The pseudo-first order kinetic model (k=0.0367 min(-1)) described very well the oxidation of BPB.

Removal of penicillin G from aqueous phase by Fe+3-TiO2/UV-A process

BACKGROUND

Anomalous use of antibiotics and their entrance into the environment have increased concerns around the world. These compounds enter the environment through an incomplete metabolism and a considerable amount of them cannot be removed using conventional wastewater treatment. Therefore, the main objectives of this research are evaluation of the feasibility of using ultraviolet radiation (UV-A) and fortified nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) doped with Fe+3 to remove penicillin G (PENG) from aqueous phase and determining the optimum conditions for maximum removal efficiency.

RESULTS

The results showed that the maximum removal rate of penicillin G occurred in acidic pH (pH = 3) in the presence of 90 mg/L Fe+3-TiO2 catalyst. In addition, an increase in pH caused a decrease in penicillin G removal rate. As the initial concentration of penicillin G increased, the removal rate of antibiotic decreased. Moreover, due to the effect of UV on catalyst activation in Fe+3-TiO2/UV-A process, a significant increase was observed in the rate of antibiotic removal. All of the variables in the process had a statistically significant effect (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The findings demonstrated that the antibiotic removal rate increased by decreasing pH and increasing the amount of catalyst and contact time. In conclusion, Fe+3-TiO2/UV-A process is an appropriate method for reducing penicillin G in polluted water resources.

Removal of copper in leachate from mining residues using electrochemical technology

This research is related to a laboratory study on the performance of a successive mining residues leaching and electrochemical copper recovery process. To clearly define the experimental region for response surface methodology (RSM), a preliminary study was performed by applying a current intensity varying from 0.5 A to 4.0 A for 60 min. By decreasing the current intensity from 4.0 A to 0.5 A, a good adhesion and a very smooth and continuous interface of copper was formed and deposited on the cathode electrode. However, the removal rate of Cu decreased from 83.7% to 37.9% when the current intensity passed from 4.0 A to 0.5 A, respectively. Subsequently, the factorial design and central composite design methodologies were successively employed to define the optimal operating conditions for copper removal in the mining residues leachate. Using a 2(3) factorial matrix, the best performance for copper removal (97.7%) was obtained at a current intensity of 2.0 A during 100 min. The current intensity and electrolysis time were found to be the most influent parameters. The contribution of current intensity and electrolysis time was around 65.8% and 33.9%, respectively. The treatment using copper electrode and current intensity of 1.3 A during 80 min was found to be the optimal conditions in terms of cost/effectiveness. Under these conditions, 86% of copper can be recovered for a total cost of 0.56 $ per cubic meter of treated mining residues leachate.

Removal of chlortetracycline from spiked municipal wastewater using a photoelectrocatalytic process operated under sunlight irradiations

The degradation of chlortetracycline in synthetic solution and in municipal effluent was investigated using a photoelectrocatalytic oxidation process under visible irradiation. The N-doped TiO₂ used as photoanode with 3.4 at.% of nitrogen content was prepared by means of a radiofrequency magnetron sputtering (RF-MS) process. Under visible irradiation, higher photoelectrocatalytic removal efficiency of CTC was recorded using N-doped TiO₂ compared to the conventional electrochemical oxidation, direct photolysis and photocatalysis processes. The photoelectrocatalytic process operated at 0.6A of current intensity during 180 min of treatment time promotes the degradation of 99.1 ± 0.1% of CTC. Under these conditions, removal rates of 85.4 ± 3.6%, 87.4 ± 3.1% and 55.7 ± 2.9% of TOC, TN and NH₄(+) have been recorded. During the treatment, CTC was mainly transformed into CO₂ and H₂O. The process was also found to be effective in removing indicator of pathogens such as fecal coliform (log-inactivation was higher than 1.2 units).

Electrochemical degradation of chlortetracycline using N-doped Ti/TiO2 photoanode under sunlight irradiations

The appearance and the persistence of pharmaceutical products in the aquatic environment urgently call for the development of an innovative and practical water treatment technology. This study deals with the development of nanostructured nitrogen-doped TiO2 photoanodes and their subsequent use for chlortetracycline (CTC) photoelectrocatalytic oxidation under visible light. The N-doped TiO2 photoanodes with different nitrogen contents were prepared by means of a radiofrequency magnetron sputtering (RF-MS) process, with the objective to tune shift their optical absorption from the UV towards the visible. The N-doped TiO2 consist of nanostructured anatase phase with average TiO2 nanocrystallite size of 29 nm. The nitrogen doping is clearly shown to produce the desired red shift of the absorption onset of the TiO2 coatings (from ~380 nm to ~550 nm). Likewise, the N-doped TiO2 are found to be highly photo-electroactive not only under the UV light but most interestingly under the visible light as well. Using the optimal N-doped photoanodes, 99.6% of CTC (100 μg/L) was successfully degraded after 180 min of treatment time with a current intensity of 0.6 A. Under these conditions, a relatively high mineralization of CTC (92.5% ± 0.26% of TOC removal and 90.3% ± 1.1% of TN removal) was achieved.

Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of carbamazepine using Ti/TiO2 nanostructured electrodes deposited by means of a pulsed laser deposition process

The objective of the present work is to evaluate the potential of photoelectrocatalytic oxidation (PECO) process using Ti/TiO2 for the degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ). Ti/TiO2 prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has been used as a photo-catalyst in a photoelectrocatalytic cell. The PLD TiO2 coatings were found to be of anatase structure consisting of nanocrystallites of approximately 15nm in diameter. Factorial and central and extreme composite design methodologies were successively employed to define the optimal operating conditions for CBZ degradation. Several factors such as current intensity, treatment time, pollutant concentration and cathode material were investigated. Using a 2(4) factorial matrix, the best performance for CBZ degradation (53.5%) was obtained at a current intensity of 0.1 A during 120min of treatment time and when the vitreous carbon (VC) was used at the cathode in the presence of 10mgL(-1) of CBZ. Treatment time and pollutant concentration were found to be very meaningful for CBZ removal. The PECO process applied under optimal conditions (at current intensity of 0.3A during 120min in the presence of 10mgL(-1) of CBZ with VC at the cathode) is able to oxidize around 73.5% ±2.8% of CBZ and to ensure 21.2%±7.7% of mineralization. During PECO process, CBZ was mainly transformed to acridine and anthranilic acid. Microtox biotests (Vibrio fisheri) showed that the treated - effluent was not toxic. The pseudo-second order kinetic model (k2=6×10(-4)Lmg(-1)min(-1)) described very well the oxidation of CBZ.

Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of acid dye using Ni-TiO2 with the energy supplied by solar cell: mechanism and economical studies

This paper reports an investigation into the effect of a number of operating factors on the removal of Acid Red 88 from an aqueous solution through photoelectrocatalysis: photocatalyst dose, dye concentration, pH, bias potential, and electrolyte concentration. The photocatalyst was Ni-TiO2 applied in suspension to the solution to achieve a larger catalyst surface area. The optimum values for photocatalyst dose, dye concentration, and electrolyte concentration turned out to be 0.6 mg L(-1), 50 mg L(-1), and 5 mg L(-1), respectively. Also, the best pH was found to be 7, and bias potential proved to be best at 1.6 V. The aqueous solution was characterized for its COD and TOC. Photocatalyst efficiency was evaluated using SEM and XRD techniques. The characterization of the post-treatment product using FT-IR, HPLC, and GC-MS studies revealed intermediate compounds. A pathway was proposed for the degradation of the dye. The energy required by the experiment was supplied by solar cells, meaning the money that would have otherwise been spent on electricity was saved. Cost analysis was also done for the treatment process.