Ik. Konstantinou et al., Photocatalytic degradation of selected s-triazine herbicides and organophosphorus insecticides over aqueous TiO2 suspensions, ENV SCI TEC, 35(2), 2001, pp. 398-405
Citations number
48
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology,"Environmental Engineering & Energy
The photocatalytic degradation of selected s-triazine herbicides and organo
phosphorus insecticides was carried out in aqueous TiO2 suspensions under s
imulated solar light. The tested herbicides from the s-triazines group were
atrazine, propazine, cyanazine, prometryne, and irgarol. The tested insect
icides from the organophosphorus group were ethyl parathion, methyl parathi
on, ethyl bromophos, methyl bromophos, and diclofenthion. Degradation kinet
ics followed first-order reaction and has been monitored through gas chroma
tography. The degradation was fast with half-lives varying from 10.2 to 38.
3 min depending on the nature and the structure of compounds. The generated
transformation products (TPs) were formed via oxidation, dealkylation, and
dechlorination for s-triazines and via oxidation and photohydrolysis for o
rganophosphates. The TPs of irgarol, bromophos, and dichlofenthion were ide
ntified using solid-phase extraction (SDB-disks) and GC-MS techniques, and
possible degradation routes were proposed showing similar degradation pathw
ays as for other triazines and organophosporus pesticides. This work points
out to the necessity of extended knowledge of the successive steps in a so
lar-assisted detoxification process.