Photolytic degradation of commonly used pesticides adsorbed on silica particles

Abstract

The currently used pesticides are mostly semi-volatile organic compounds. As a result, a fraction of them can be adsorbed on atmospheric aerosol surface. Their atmospheric photolysis is poorly documented, and gaps persist in understanding their reactivity in the particle phase. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the photolysis rates of eight commonly used pesticides (i.e., cyprodinil, deltamethrin, difenoconazole, fipronil, oxadiazon, pendimethalin, permethrin, and tetraconazole) using a flow reactor. These pesticides were individually adsorbed on hydrophobic silica particles and exposed to a filtered xenon lamp to mimic atmospheric aerosols and sunlight irradiation, respectively.The estimated photolysis rate constants ranged from less than (3.4 ± 0.3) × 10−7 s−1 (permethrin; >47.2 days) to (3.8 ± 0.2) × 10−5 s−1 (Fipronil; 0.4 days), depending on the considered compound. Moreover, this study assessed the influence of pesticide mixtures on their photolysis rates, revealing that certain pesticides can act as photosensitizers, thereby enhancing the reactivity of permethrin and tetraconazole. This study underscores the importance of considering photolysis degradation when evaluating pesticide fate and reactivity, as it can be a predominant degradation pathway for some pesticides. This contributes to an enhanced understanding of their behavior in the atmosphere and their impact on air quality.