The purpose of this paper is to report the development of a laboratory-scale
pilot based on the use of TiO2 photocatalytic thin films for degrading organic matter
and pollutants from natural water. The photoreactor consists of a channel inclined
with a glass plate coated by TiO2 in both faces and fixed at 1 cm from the bottom. The
thin film was immobilized on the glass plates by Sputtering technique. The reactor
was designed to be able of reproduce the hydraulic conditions of a water treatment
plant. In experimental testing of degradation of organic matter with solar irradiation
maximum efficiency of 50% was achieved. At optimal conditions it was possible to
exceed the efficiencies of a full scale preozonization in a water treatment plant , thus
providing a more sustainable process.