In this research, the photocatalytic degradation of benzothiophene in $TiO_2$ aqueous suspension has been studied. $TiO_2$ photocatalysts are prepared by a sol-gel method. The dominant anatase-structure on $TiO_2$ particles is observed after calcining the $TiO_2$ gel at $500^{circ}C$ for 1hr. Photocatalysts with various transition metals (Nd, Pd and Pt) loading are tested to evaluate the effect of transition metal impurities on photodegradation. The photocatalytic degradation in most cases follows first-order kinetics. The maximum photodegradation efficiency is obtained with $TiO_2$ dosage of 0.4g/L. The photodegradation efficiency with Pt-$TiO_2$ is higher than pure $TiO_2$ powder. The optimal content value of Pt is 0.5wt.%. Also we investigate the applicability of $H_2O_2$ to increase the efficiency of the $TiO_2$ photocatalytic degradation of benzothiophene. The optimal concentration of $H_2O_2$ is 0.05. The effect of pH is investigated; we obtain the maximum photodegradation efficiency at pH 9. Hydroxy-benzothiophenes and dihydroxy-benzothiophenes are identified as reaction intermediates. It is proposed that benzothiophene is oxidized by OH radical to sequentially form hydroxyl-benzothiophenes, dihydroxybenzothiophenes, and benzothiophenedione.