Peroxydisulfate Activation by Carbon Materials for the Degradation of the Herbicide Ametryn in Waters

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2024-02-13

Authors

Cátia Graça (Author) FEUP; O.S.G.P. Soares (Author) FEUP; G. Freitas (Author) Other; M. P. Parizi (Author) Other

Journal

Title: ACS Omega

Vol. 9 No. 6

Pages: 6569-6577

Publisher: American Chemical Society

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus

Associated Projects

LA LSRE-LCM - Financiamento Plurianual 2020-2023 para a Unidade LA LSRE-LCM Laboratório de Processos de Separação e Reacção - Laboratório de Catálise e Materiais

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-010-06A

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c07479

Abstract (EN): Brazil, the largest global sugar cane producer, utilizes approximately 10 million hectares for cultivation. However, the increased use of agrochemicals in this industry raises concerns about environmental and human health impacts. Inclusively, ametryn (AMT), a pesticide intensively used in sugar cane plantations, has been detected in several water matrices at concerning levels, which evidences the urgent need for the development of technologies capable of removing this pesticide from the environment. This study investigated the removal efficiency of AMT from aquatic environments via oxidation promoted by persulfate (PS) activation mediated by carbon-based materials, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and activated carbon. Granular activated carbon (GAC) emerged as the most suitable material due to its clear catalytic role. A central composite design was used to evaluate and optimize the factors influencing AMT degradation and mineralization, revealing that the initial PS concentration and GAC dosage strongly impact the degradation rate and organic carbon removal in different directions. GAC was submitted to surface functionalization with N- and O-precursors to investigate how this impacts PS activation, and positive enhancements were noted with the latter, with a mineralization degree 9% superior. Experiments with real water matrices evidence the impact of other water constituents on the degradation rate of the target pollutant (k(300)(')), which was reduced by half when performed in groundwater. Notwithstanding, the system still demonstrated a consistent capacity to remove organic content, ranging from 60 to 50% TOCremoval, regardless of the water matrix, indicating that the system might be effective in real contamination scenarios. This research highlights the potential of GAC and its modified version for remediation of AMT-contaminated water remediation.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 9