Integrated experimental approach to photocatalytic oxidation of cosmetic and personal care products wastewater: assessing pollutant removal, biodegradability, toxicity, environmental sustainability, kinetics and statistical analysis

Abstract The experimental study investigates the effectiveness of four advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)—UV alone, UV/H₂O₂, photo-Fenton, and photo-Fenton-like—for enhancing the biodegradability of cosmetic and personal care products (PCP) wastewater from an Egyptian manufacturing facility. The processes were evaluated based on COD and TOC removal efficiency, biodegradability index (BOD₅/COD), acute toxicity reduction, energy demand, operating cost, carbon footprint, and reaction kinetic. Unde