Degradation of different pesticides in water by microplasma: the roles of individual radicals and degradation pathways

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2021-02, Vol.28 (7), p.8296-8309
• Main Authors: Khan, Muhammad Saiful Islam, Lee, Na Ri, Ahn, Jaehwan, Kim, Ji Young, Kim, Jong Hoon, Kwon, Ki Hyun, Kim, Yun-Ji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic environment; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biodegradation; Chlorpyrifos; DDT; Degradation; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Free radicals; High performance liquid chromatography; Hydrogen Peroxide; Hydroxyl Radical; Hydroxyl radicals; Liquid chromatography; Microplasmas; Nitrogen oxides; Organic compounds; Organochlorine pesticides; Organophosphorus pesticides; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxides; Ozone; Pesticides; Photochemicals; Plasma; Pollutant removal; Reaction kinetics; Research Article; Toxins; Waste Water Technology; Water; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Pollution Control; Water Purification
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11127-x

Pesticides are emergent toxins often identified in aquatic environments. In the present study, microplasma was employed to reduce the pesticide content in water. The degradation efficacy, rate, and pathways of standard organophosphorus pesticides (namely, chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos oxone, and diazinone) and an organochlorine pesticide (namely, DDT solution) were evaluated using microplasma. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was performed to elucidate the degradation efficiency of pesticides as a function of plasma-produced substances that originally contributed to the main reduction procedure. Microplasma produces several types of radicals or reactive substances, for instance dissolved ozone (O 3 ), nitrogen oxides, hydroxyl radicals (OH radicals), and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). The removal potential differs due to the existence or absence of varieties of plasma-produced substances. The functions of major plasma-produced species on pesticide removal were determined by a passive technique. Nitrogen oxides showed a key role in organophosphorus pesticide removal, whereas dissolved ozone and OH radicals played major roles in DDT degradation. HPLC data showed that plasma-induced pesticide removal showed first-order reaction kinetics. The pesticide removal pathways through microplasma were validated by investigating the achieved data from LC-MS and GC-MS.