Recent developments in photocatalytic degradation of insecticides and pesticides

Abstract

Widespread use of pesticides in agricultural and domestic sectors and their long half-life have led to their accumulation in the environment beyond permissible limits. Advanced chemical oxidation methods including photocatalytic degradation are being widely investigated for their mineralization. Photocatalytic degradation is the most promising method for degrading pesticides as well as other organic pollutants. Titanium dioxide with or without modification has been widely used as the photocatalyst. Some research groups have also tried other photocatalysts. This review presents a critical summary of the research results reported during the past two decades as well as the scope for future research in this area.

Recent advances of semiconductor photocatalysis for water pollutant treatment: mechanisms, materials and applications

“…Pesticide residues pose a severe threat to ecosystems, and are likewise one of the primary sources of water pollution today. 133 Although pesticides are allowed to be used according to the laws of various countries, difficulties of their degradation in the environment, and their persistence in the environment has adverse consequences. At present, the problem faced by all countries in the world is the impact of pesticides on environmental health, which largely pollute surface water and groundwater, threating to water Akbari et al 141 reported the modification of MgO by a onestep N-doping method, leading to the preparation of catalysts for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation and photocatalytic reaction, followed by anchoring of functionalized Fe 3 O 4 NPs for the photocatalytic degradation of imidacloprid (IMD).…”

“…Pesticide residues pose a severe threat to ecosystems, and are likewise one of the primary sources of water pollution today. 133 Although pesticides are allowed to be used according to the laws of various countries, difficulties of their degradation in the environment, and their persistence in the environment has adverse consequences. At present, the problem faced by all countries in the world is the impact of pesticides on environmental health, which largely pollute surface water and groundwater, threating to water resources security.…”

Scale-Up of a Heterogeneous Photocatalytic Degradation Using a Photochemical Rotor–Stator Spinning Disk Reactor

“…As a suitable benchmark reaction, we selected the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes, which are problematic to remove from wastewater effluents using conventional purification methods (Figure B). − For this application, semiconductors are often used as recoverable heterogeneous photocatalysts; a typical example being titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) due to its chemical stability, nontoxic nature, low cost, and high photocatalytic activity. , The electron–hole pairs generated upon the excitation of TiO 2 can produce reactive radicals (so-called reactive oxygen species, Figure B), which nonselectively oxidize the organic pollutants, such as methylene blue (MB), to carbon dioxide, water, and various mineralization products. ,− Interestingly, the photodegradation of organic dyes using TiO 2 has been extensively researched over the years and has served as a benchmark reaction for novel reactor designs, ranging from laboratory to intermediate scales and from batch to continuous-flow operation modes. − An additional advantage of this transformation is the possibility of easily assessing the remaining concentration of MB using conventional UV–vis spectroscopical tools. In this work, we report on the ability of the pRS-SDR to process complex aqueous gas–liquid–solid reaction streams without clogging and demonstrate that high productivity rates can be obtained for the TiO 2 -mediated aerobic photodegradation of aqueous MB.…”