Sustainable Lake Water Treatment Using Titanium Dioxide Nanowires Technology
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Abstract
Water is essential for the entire organism to survive and maintaining ecosystem. There are still limitations of the conventional water treatment including high building and maintenance cost, high energy consumption, limited removal of emerging contaminants and other complications that required compliance from different parties. The application of photocatalytic oxidation has attracted a great deal of attentions upon its ability to overcome the limitations. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the photocatalysts which possess high efficiency in removing the environmental contaminants. Modification of dimension of nanoparticles enhance the properties and improve their application. In this study, it is aimed to synthesize one-dimensional (1-D) nanostructural TiO2 nanowires via one step hydrothermal process followed by post-heat treatment. With 1-D TiO2, the photocatalytic performance and antimicrobial activity of TiO2 were improved. In present study, the lake water cultures and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were used as the model organisms on the antimicrobial property of TiO2 nanowires for the application in lake water treatment. Based on the results, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrum revealed post-heat treatment enhanced the crystallinity and the light absorption ability of TiO2 nanowires. The calcined TiO2 nanowires displayed higher efficiency in controlling the micropollutants of lake water. The antimicrobial results revealed that the addition of TiO2 nanowires into the lake water and E. coli samples enhanced the anti-bacterial activity by showing the highest removal efficiency (up to 99.9%) as compared to samples with TiO2 nanoparticles and plain samples under UV irradiation alone. Hence, the results suggested that photocatalytic TiO2 nanowires can be effectively applied in the treatment of agricultural and industrial wastewater, contributing to sustainable future with achievement of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being).
Manuscript received: 13 Jan 2026 | Revised: 02 May 2026 | Accepted: 06 May 2026 | Published: 31 Jul 2026
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