Degradation of pesticides wastewater by silyl based cationic surfactants

New stable silayl cationic surfactants have been studied for the destruction of toxic organophosphorus pesticides. Hexadecyl, dodecyl trimethyl silane ammonium chloride or iodide surfactants were synthesized and evaluated in the degradation of pesticides such as Diazinon, Malathion or Chlorpyrifos. The hydrolytic efficiency of each surfactant was tested by measuring the kinetics of model substrates cleavage under a pseudo-first order reaction. The iodo silayl based surfactants showed more destructive power than the chloro derivatives. Meanwhile, the hexadecyl moiety showed more effective pesticide degradation than the corresponding dodecyl moiety.