Photomineralization of carbofuran by TiO 2-supported catalyst

Abstract

Purification of water using TiO 2 as a photocatalyst has attracted a great deal of attention. The technical limitation of using the powder form of TiO 2 is the separation of the catalyst. It has been found that TiO 2 microcystallites can be firmly affixed to the glass plates without any deactivation. As an example, mineralization of carbofuran was tested. Results indicated that total mineralization can be achieved after 15 h of irradication. This method is a low-cost process and plates can be reused without any deactivation. The major drawback is the requirement of UV irradiation for the water decontamination.