Insights into the effect of parameters and pathway of visible-light photodegradation of glyphosate and diazinon by C-TiO2/ clinoptilolite nanocomposite

In this study, Carbon-doped TiO2/clinoptilolite nanocomposite was synthesized by sol-gel method, and it was investigated for the destruction of two organophosphorus pesticides, glyphosate, and diazinon, in an aqueous environment under visible light. The synthesized catalyst was characterized using FE-SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XRD, EDX, BET, and DRS techniques. The degradation efficiencies of 84% and 89.67% were obtained for glyphosate and diazinon under optimal conditions (initial concentration of pesticides: 30 mg L-1, solution pH of glyphosate: 3, solution pH of diazinon: 6, catalyst dosage: 0.3 g L-1), respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of both pesticides followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Also, photodegradation mechanisms and pathways were investigated. In this research, a new catalyst with high efficiency was synthesized, which can be used for the degradation of other organic compounds.