Photocatalytic Applications of Fe–Ag Co-Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles in Removal of Flumioxazin Pesticide Residues in Water

Tentu Nageswara Rao,G Rajasekhar Reddy,Shalendra Kumar,Y Prashanthi,Tentu Manohra Naidu,Faheem Ahmed,Nishat Arshi

doi:10.3389/fnano.2021.652364

Abstract

Fe–Ag co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared as a photocatalyst using a precipitation method for the removal of flumioxazin pesticide residues in water. The analytical method was validated with specificity, linearity, recovery, precision, the limit of quantification, and detection limit. Linearity was determined by different known concentrations of standard solutions. Detection limit was identified as the lowest concentration resulting in a 3-fold response to baseline noise. Photolytic and photocatalytic studies were conducted in borosil glass bottles under sunlight at a single fortification level (1.0 μg/mL) in Milli-Q water with various pH values (pH 4.0, 7.0, and 9.0). The optimum catalyst concentration recommended for complete degradation was found to be 50 mg/L under sunlight. The HPLC-UV method was used to determine flumioxazin residues in water, and the rate constant, DT50, and DT90 values were calculated from the data obtained. The photolytic results do not indicate a significant residue loss due to adsorption. Fe–Ag co-doped TiO2 NPs are an outstanding decontaminating catalyst in various water samples.

Highlights

Herbicides are chemicals that interrupt the normal growth and development of plants (Castro et al, 2008)
The synthesized Fe2O3–Ag2O–TiO2 NPs were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, FESEM, EDS, and TEM, presented in Figures 1–5, respectively
According to the FE-scanning electron microscope (SEM), the morphology of the Fe2O3–Ag2O–TiO2 nanocomposite was approximately spherical, in which the Fe and Ag deposited with titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which were found to be in an aggregated form

Summary

Introduction

Herbicides are chemicals that interrupt the normal growth and development of plants (Castro et al, 2008). They are widely used for weed management in agricultural, industrial, and noncrop areas. Herbicides can provide cost-effective control of weeds while reducing labor costs. Can lead to crop injury, poor weed control, weeds’ resistance to herbicides, environmental contamination, or health hazards. Flumioxazin is a well-known herbicide used for the control of weeds in soybean and peanut crops and orchards. Flumioxazin accumulation in soil and crops will cause severe side effects, such as irreversible destruction of the internal structure of crops (Lu et al, 2014). Sensitive methods for the determination of the concentration of flumioxazin need to be established (Guo and William, 2004; Chen et al, 2013)

Methods

Results

Conclusion