This study prepares a new form of cellulose/graphene composite (CGC) by mixing dissolved cellulose with graphene oxide and reducing it with hydrazine hydrate. The composite particles achieve higher adsorption levels than five other sorbents (graphite carbons, primary secondary amine (PSA), graphite carbon black (GCB), cellulose, and graphene) for six triazine pesticides. The adsorption process only requires adding 30 mg of CGC for 10 mL of solution of triazine pesticides. The mixture is hand-shaken five times at pH 9. The equilibrium adsorption isotherm reveals that the Langmuir model describes the adsorption process better. Thermodynamic parameters indicate that adsorption is spontaneous, favorable, and endothermic in nature. Furthermore, the CGC is very stable and can easily be recycled using a simple organic solvent. The adsorption efficiency of the CGC is still over 85% after six times of recycling.
Imidacloprid has become a research hotspot, due to its high toxicity to bees and other nontarget organisms. Photodegradation is a common method for removing imidacloprid in an aquatic environment. Traditional methods of pesticide photodegradation have generally been confined by many factors, such as response to only high-energy ultraviolet light. Herein, the visible-light-driven photocatalyst graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was applied to the photodegradation of imidacloprid. Visible-light illumination (λ >400 nm) resulted in nearly 90% substrate transformation in 5 h. With the illumination of an energy-saving lamp, imidacloprid has also been mostly removed. 1-((6-chloropyridin-3-yl)methylhydroxy)imidazolidin-2-ylidene nitramide) and 4,5-dihydro-N-nitro-1-(3-pyridinylmethyl)-1H-imidazol-2-amine were the main photoproducts identified by LC-MS analysis. The photocatalytic mechanism has also been discussed. This work could provide new perspective that g-C3N4, as a good visible-light photocatalyst could be applied to the cleanup of environmental pesticide pollution.
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