Effect of Polyaniline Concentration on TiO 2 Synthesis for Cork Ball Photocatalytic Application in Degrading Domestic Wastewater Under UV Light

Wastewater from households and public areas can contain harmful materials that put human life and the environment at risk. To address this, several techniques have been developed to recycle domestic wastewater. One such method is the photocatalytic process that utilizes ultraviolet light to facilitate photodegradation. This study aims to investigate the impact of PANI addition (1%–9%) on the activity of the cork ball TiO 2 photocatalyst for degrading domestic wastewater. The cork ball TiO 2 /PANI catalyst exhibits a distinctive floating property on the water surface. The characterized catalyst underwent XRD, SEM, FTIR, UV–vis, BET analysis, and water quality tests (measuring pH, BOD, COD, and TSS parameters). The XRD characterization results showed the formation of anatase dispersed on the cork surface. The addition of PANI to the TiO 2 /PANI composite causes a decrease in crystallinity and crystallite size from 40.7 to 31.1 nm. From the BET analysis, it shows that the surface area increased, while the pore volume and the pore size decreased as the concentration of PANI increased in the TiO 2 –PANI composite. Increasing the concentration of PANI in the composite also caused a decrease in bandgap value from 3.16 to 2.95 eV. The optimum condition of photocatalytic activity for degrading domestic wastewater is at a sample TP 9%. In this study, there was an increase in pH of up to 42.3%, a decrease in BOD, COD, and TSS of up to 93.3%, 95%, and 91.8%, respectively. Hence, this study shows that the TiO 2 /PANI cork ball is effective for degrading domestic wastewater.