Performance of a novel Annular Sieve-Plate Column (ASPC) photoreactor for treatment of phenol-containing synthetic wastewater was evaluated in the present work. The main part of the reactor was two concentric columns in which the quartz and Pyrex glass were placed as the inner and outer tubes, respectively; while one UV-A lamp was housed within the space of the quartz column. Fifty rings of stainless steel sieve plates were used as the support for titanium dioxide (TiO2) P-25 Degussa immobilization and positioned horizontally in annulus space along the column photoreactor. A simple protocol was followed for the photocatalyst immobilization while characterization of the supported TiO2 was based on the results obtained through performing some common analytical methods such as XRD, SEM, and BET. A solution of a known initial concentration of phenol (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mM) at the total volume of 600 ml was introduced to the reactor in batch recirculation mode using a peristaltic pump. The test liquid was circulated between the photoreactor with 300 ml volume capacity and a liquid tank equipped with jacket. The selected recirculation flow rates were 50 and 100 ml min(-1). The system's aeration was through the liquid tank using an ordinary air pump (21 min(-1)) and control of the system's temperature at some specified values (15, 25, and 35 degrees C) was performed using a thermostatic water bath circulating water through the jacket. Reduction in phenol and COD contents in 8-h reaction time, were 91% and 60%, respectively (initial phenol concentration: 0.5 mM). Phenol degradation kinetic was also studied and the data analysis showed applicability of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The results of the temperature dependence of the reaction indicated the occurrence of two-step reactions with lower energy of activation for the second sequential reaction. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.