Photocatalytic removal of pesticide dichlorvos from indoor air: a study of reaction parameters, intermediates and mineralization

Persistence of aerially-sprayed naled in coastal sediments

Aerial sprays of the organophosphate pesticide, naled, were intensified over beach areas during the summer of 2016 to control the locally-acquired Zika outbreak in the continental U.S. Concerns were raised in beach frequented areas about contaminated sediments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the persistence and levels of naled and its byproduct, dichlorvos, in sediments obtained from the affected areas. Laboratory experiments were designed to simulate the effect of various natural conditions on the decomposition of naled in three sediment types (beach sand, marl, and calcinated beach sand). The three sediment samples were also exposed to field aerial sprays. After 30 min of exposure, more dichlorvos was detected in the sediments than naled, with 33 to 43% of the molar concentration initially applied as either naled or dichlorvos. Under dark conditions, trace levels of naled were observed after 24 h on sediments. Higher temperature accelerated the natural decomposition of both naled and dichlorvos in sediments. The half-life of naled ranged from 3 to 5 h at 22.5 °C and ranged from 1 to 3 h at 30 °C. Expedited decomposition of naled was observed under sunlight conditions with a half-life of naled of 20 min. In the field, only dichlorvos was detected in the sediment samples at concentrations between 0.0011 and 0.0028 μmol/g 1 h after aerial sprays. This data can be used towards a risk assessment that evaluates exposures to naled and dichlorvos through beach sands impacted by aerial spray activities.

Role of Zr6 Metal Nodes in Zr-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Catalytic Detoxification of Pesticides

Pesticides are chemicals widely used for agricultural industry, despite their negative impact on health and environment. Although various methods have been developed for pesticide degradation to remedy such adverse effects, conventional materials often take hours to days for complete decomposition and are difficult to recycle. Here, we demonstrate the rapid degradation of organophosphate pesticides with a Zr-based metal-organic framework (MOF), showing complete degradation within 15 min. MOFs with different active site structures (Zr node connectivity and geometry) were compared, and a porphyrin-based MOF with six-connected Zr nodes showed remarkable degradation efficiency with half-lives of a few minutes. Such a high efficiency was further confirmed in a simple flow system for several cycles. This study reveals that MOFs can be highly potent heterogeneous catalysts for organophosphate pesticide degradation, suggesting that coordination geometry of the Zr node significantly influences the catalytic activity.

Recent Strategies for Environmental Remediation of Organochlorine Pesticides

The amount of organochlorine pesticides in soil and water continues to increase; their presence has surpassed maximum acceptable concentrations. Thus, the development of different removal strategies has stimulated a new research drive in environmental remediation. Different techniques such as adsorption, bioremediation, phytoremediation and ozonation have been explored. These techniques aim at either degrading or removal of the organochlorine pesticides from the environment but have different drawbacks. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a relatively new technique that has become popular due to its ability to completely degrade different toxic pollutants—instead of transferring them from one medium to another. The process is driven by a renewable energy source, and semiconductor nanomaterials are used to construct the light energy harvesting assemblies due to their rich surface states, large surface areas and different morphologies compared to their corresponding bulk materials. These make it a green alternative that is cost-effective for organochlorine pesticides degradation. This has also opened up new ways to utilize semiconductors and solar energy for environmental remediation. Herein, the focus of this review is on environmental remediation of organochlorine pesticides, the different techniques of their removal from the environment, the advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques and the use of specific semiconductors as photocatalysts.

Crystallization of microporous TiO2 through photochemical deposition of Pt for photocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds

The photocatalytic mineralization efficiency of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is determined by adsorption of reactants, separation of charge carriers, and reaction activity of catalyst surface. Herein, we provide a strategy to synthesize a novel catalyst, namely, PhPt-Micro, which is characterized by high adsorption ability, charge separation efficiency, and surface reaction activity. Toluene was chosen as the model VOC. The effects of photochemical deposition of Pt on the physical properties of microporous amorphous TiO₂ (Micro) and toluene mineralization were studied using N₂ adsorption/desorption, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, GC-flame ionization detection, and surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) analyses. After photochemical treatment, the structure of Micro was optimized, and Pt nanoparticles were successfully deposited at the outlet of electrons on the catalyst surface. SPS result proved that the optimized structure enhanced the separation efficiency of charge carriers and the migration of photo-generated electrons to the PhPt-Micro surface. The quasi-equilibrium adsorption amount of toluene over PhPt-Micro was two times higher than that with commercial nano TiO₂ (P25). The micropores concentrated toluene on the catalyst surface and hindered intermediate desorption. The mineralization efficiency of toluene over PhPt-Micro was 2.4 and 5.9 times higher than those over Micro and P25, respectively.

TD-M06-2X insights into the absorption and emission spectra of dichlorvos and its molecularly imprinted recognition by methacrylic acid

The absorption and emission spectra of dichlorvos and the dichlorvos-MAA complex in methanol, water, and chloroform in the molecularly imprinted recognition were investigated systematically. The M06-2X results revealed that: 1) the hydroxyl groups in polar solvents such as methanol and water may markedly influence the weak interactions, and then alter the adsorption and emission spectra; 2) the electronic excitation in absorption spectra of dichlorvos is dominated by the configuration HOMO → LUMO, but in the most stable dichlorvos-MAA it becomes the ππ* excitation of HOMO → LUMO + 1; 3) Mulliken charges reveal that dichlorvos almost dissociates to Cl^- and a cation in its S₁ excitation state; 4) the phosphorescence spectra of dichlorvos-MAA are relatively weak. Graphical Abstract The absorption and emission spectra of dichlorvos and the dichlorvos-MAA complex in the molecularly imprinted recognition of dichlorvos were investigated systematically in methanol, water, and chloroform as solvents.

A review of photochemical approaches for the treatment of a wide range of pesticides

Pesticides are renowned as some of the most pernicious chemicals known to humankind. Nine out of twelve most hazardous and persistent organic chemicals on planet have been identified as pesticides and their derivatives. Because of their strong recalcitrant nature, it often becomes a difficult task to treat them by conventional approaches. It is well perceived that many factors can interfere with the degradation of pesticides under ambient conditions, e.g., media, light intensity, humic content, and other biological components. However, for the effective treatment of pesticides, photochemical methods are viewed as having clear and perceivable advantages. In this article, we provide a review of the fundamental characteristics of photochemical approaches for pesticide treatment and the factors governing their capacity and potential in such a process.

The p–n heterojunction with porous BiVO4 framework and well-distributed Co3O4 as a super visible-light-driven photocatalyst

The p–n heterojunction with mesoporous BiVO₄ framework well-distributed Co₃O₄ is fabricated.

Template-free sol-gel preparation and characterization of free-standing visible light responsive C,N-modified porous monolithic TiO2

Visible light responsive C,N-modified porous monolithic titania (MT(f)) has been successfully synthesized. The template-free sol-gel synthesis method accompanied by phase separation and in situ C,N-modification has been used. The molar ratio of water to tetrabutyl titanate (f) in starting solution plays an important role in the porous structure and photoactivity of MT(f). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis and N(2) adsorption-desorption analysis show that MT(f) possess mesoporous structure as well as macroporous structure. MT(22) has been further characterized by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The results show that both nitrogen and carbon elements exist in MT(22) and result in the visible light photocatalytic activity of MT(22). The observed reaction rate of decolorization of methyl orange is 0.0026 min(-1).

Photocatalytic degradation of dichlorvos in aqueous TiO2 suspensions

INTRODUCTION

In the present work, we explored the kinetics of dichlorvos (2,2-dichlorvinyl dimethyl phosphate, DDVP) decay through UV-A light-induced TiO(2) photocatalysis at pH 4 and 9, and the formation of degradation intermediates and final products under specific experimental conditions. Experimental observations and theoretical considerations allowed us to suggest the degradation mechanism of DDVP by the UV/TiO(2) process in aqueous solution.

METHODS

The irradiation experiments were carried out in a photoreactor using a 228-W medium-pressure Hg vapor lamp. The concentration of DDVP, phosphate ion and formaldehyde as reaction intermediate, are determined spectrophotometrically. Chloride ion concentration was measured potentiometrically.

RESULTS

The photocatalytic degradation rate of dichlorvos (DDVP) under UV irradiation (360-380 nm) was optimized with respect to the flow rate of O(2) gas sparged into the solution and photocatalyst concentration for a constant dichlorvos concentration (1.66 x 10(-4) M) at pH 4. Kinetic data were obtained at pH 4 and pH 9 for dichlorvos and the inorganic species released through its photo-induced degradation. The proposed mechanism which assumes the formation of some toxic intermediates resistant to mineralization is supported by theoretical calculations and the observed inorganic mass balances.

CONCLUSIONS

The calculated pseudo-first-order rate constants were dependent on the dissolved oxygen level at low O(2) flow rate, but somewhat independent on the initial pH. The decrease of pH during the irradiation suggests the formation of organic acids. The presence of organic intermediates was confirmed also by TOC measurements. A plausible reaction mechanism of DDVP degradation through the UV-A/TiO(2) process was proposed.