In this study, the photocatalytic degradation of phenol, which is commonly found in industrial wastewater at high rates, was investigated using a zinc oxide (ZnO) catalyst. It is thought that our findings will contribute to the removal of phenol in industrial wastewater. The experimental study was conducted in a batch-type air-fed cylindrical photocatalytic reactor, and a central composite design (CCD) was chosen and analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM). The study aimed to explore the effects of initial phenol concentration, catalyst concentration, airflow rate, and degradation time on the photocatalytic degradation of phenol and the removal efficiency of total organic carbon (TOC). A quadratic regression model was developed to establish the relationship between phenol degradation, TOC removal effectiveness, and the four factors mentioned. The validity of the model was assessed through an analysis of variance (ANOVA). A good agreement was observed between the model results and the experimental data. As a result of the experiments carried out under optimized conditions, the degradation percentage of phenol was found to be 77.15 %, and the degradation percentage of TOC was 59.87 %. Additionally, pseudo-first-order kinetics were used in the photocatalytic degradation of phenol.