Photocatalytic degradation of imidacloprid pesticide in aqueous solution by TiO2 nanoparticles immobilized on the glass plate

The purpose of this study is to appraise the photocatalytic degradation of imidacloprid pesticide in an aqueous solution. To this end, imidacloprid was degraded using TiO2 nanoparticles immobilized on a glass plate under UV light illumination. The effects of operational parameters (initial concentration of imidacloprid, pH, and light intensity) on the activity of TiO2 nanophotocatalyst and the kinetics of the reaction were investigated. The results indicated that TiO2 had impressive photocatalytic proficiency in the presence of UV-C light irradiation for the removal of imidacloprid from the aqueous solution. The highest efficiency for the removal of imidacloprid (R%=90.24) was obtained in the initial concentration of 20mgL(-1) imidacloprid, pH=5, and light intensity of 17Wm(-2) after 180min. The results of the mineralization studies represented a subtractive trend of total organic carbon (TOC) and an increase in the mineralization products during the reaction time.