###### Abstract  
Water scarcity is one of the major concerns of this century. The photocatalysis through TiO\({}_{2}\) can be suitable for improving liquid wastewater treatment. However, TiO\({}_{2}\) is used as a powder (nanoparticles), which is a drawback for full-scale applications. To overcome this, in the present work, powder TiO\({}_{2}\) was impregnated on ceramic material. Several parameters, such as support cleanliness, support load, TiO\({}_{2}\) suspension concentration, powder dispersion in a solvent, contact method, and drying temperature, were evaluated on the impregnation method. The influence of TiO\({}_{2}\) concentration in suspensions was tested from 1 to 10% \(w/w\). The results showed that the preparation conditions impact the TiO\({}_{2}\) impregnation yield. The 10% TiO\({}_{2}\)/Leca was the most effective in photocatalysis but had a relevant loss of TiO\({}_{2}\) from the support by erosion. For 3.6%TiO\({}_{2}\)/Leca and 5%TiO\({}_{2}\)/Leca, at TiO\({}_{2}\) concentrations of 86.6 and 102.5 mg/L promoted 71 to 85% of sulfamethoxazole removal in 6 h under UVA radiation, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the TiO\({}_{2}\) adhesion onto the surface of the ceramic material, and the thickness of the TiO\({}_{2}\) layer over the support can attain 7.64 to 10.9 \(\upmu\)m. The work showed that the TiO\({}_{2}\) impregnation method over Leca could be suitable for obtaining cost-effective photocatalysts. titanium dioxide; impregnation method; ceramic-based supports; photocatalysis; TiO\({}_{2}\) layer; contaminants of emerging concern; sulfamethoxazole oxidation 2022 222 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22  
The impact of SMX on the environment is related to the ability to provide antimicrobial resistance in both commensal bacteria from the human and animal intestines, as well as environmental bacteria, through the spread of resistance genes among diverse bacterial populations [6]. The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in water sources has been recognized as one of the emerging issues in environmental chemistry [7]. This fact, associated with a lack of knowledge about other potential negative effects on global public health, justifies the need to establish legislation and improve wastewater treatment techniques. Despite the advances and promising results in the removal process of recalcitrant compounds from aqueous media, through the application of advanced oxidation processes (AOP), there is still a long way to go to optimize processes for the industrial scale for treated water reuse. Photocatalysis presents advantages for this purpose, where the selection of the semiconductor is a key issue. In general, the adsorption of pollutants, light absorption, mass transfer, and charge separation are considered important factors for the photocatalytic activity of semiconductors [8; 9]. The photocatalysis process converts light energy into chemical energy, promoting the appearance of holes (h+) at the valence band of semiconductors. These holes boost the production of hydroxyl radicals (\(\bullet\)OH) to promote non-selective photodegradation of CEC [10; 11; 12]. Titanium dioxide (TiO\({}_{2}\)) has been identified as the most suitable semiconductor for water treatment due to its chemical stability, corrosion resistance, non-toxicity, and low cost [13; 14]. In this context, it is important to emphasize that the commercial photocatalyst, commonly named TiO\({}_{2}\) P25, presents high photocatalytic performance due to the optimal combination of anatase and rutile phases, the low bandgap energy, the specific surface area, and the small size of particles [15; 16]. TiO\({}_{2}\) P25 is commonly used as a fine powder with a particle size of less than 100 nm. Thus, after effluent treatment, sophisticated separation methods are required, such as micro-filtration, nanofiltration, and centrifugation for its recovery, which increases the complexity of the process and costs [17; 18].