LAUSR

In the present study, the response surface methodology (RSM) model was used to investigate the photocatalytic performance of silver tungstate (Ag2WO4) in the removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) under natural sunlight. The Ag2WO4 which has nanoflower-like structure was synthesized by a coprecipitation method. The synthesized photocatalyst was characterized for FESEM, TEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. RSM was employed to scrutinize the suitable model to yield a profound pollutant removal rate. The four independent factors such as pollutant concentration, catalyst dosage, pH, and contact time are simulated using RSM. A total of 91% of 2,4-DCP degradation was achieved at a higher catalyst dosage and lower pollutant concentration with a contact duration of 8 h in an alkaline pH condition. The coefficient of regression (R2) and probability value (P) were 0.98 and 0.0472, respectively, which confirmed the ideality of RSM modeling. The study discusses on the possible photocatalytic degradation mechanisms of 2,4-DCP. The results showed a significant dependence of the photocatalytic removal of 2,4-DCP on the functional parameters.