Adsorption Of Herbicides Research Articles

Effective adsorption of metolachlor herbicide by MIL-53(Al) metal-organic framework: Optimization, validation and molecular docking simulation studies

Effective removal and optimization models of metolachlor (MET) adsorption was carried out using MIL-53(Al) metal–organic framework (MOF), response surface methodology (RSM), artificial neural network (ANN) and molecular docking simulation. The MOF was hydrothermally synthesized and characterized using the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Powdered X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET). High adsorption capacity of MET was recorded (241.617 mg/g) with fast equilibration time of ∼ 25 min at 0.999 coefficient of determination (R2) which was due to the high surface area of the MOF (1104 m2/g). The kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model describing a chemisorption adsorption process. The isotherm showed a multilayer adsorption process of the Freundlich model with R2 of 0.990. The thermodynamic parameters followed an endothermic and spontaneous adsorption. The optimization by the RSM was significant with minimum number of experimental runs, lesser error and showed a simultaneous interaction of the adsorption parameters in predicting MET adsorption capacity. The ANN learning algorithm performed significantly in predicting and validating the experimental conditions designed by the RSM model. Both the RSM and ANN model provide remarkable values that are very similar with the experimental results. The binding mode and binding affinity of MIL-53(Al) and MET were determined by the docking simulation. Prospect for the reusability potential of the MOF was explored and the findings were significant. Hence, the results showed the potential of the MOF for the effective remediation of MET in aqueous medium.

Application of araçá fruit husks (Psidium cattleianum) in the preparation of activated carbon with FeCl3 for atrazine herbicide adsorption

The residual husks of the edible fruits of Psidium cattleianum were carbonized with FeCl3 as an activating agent and used as an adsorbent to remove the toxic herbicide. After the carbonization step, changes in the material’s structure were found. Activated carbon showed characteristics of microporous materials with a pore volume of 0.280 cm3 g−1 and surface area of 431 m2 g−1. Micrographs revealed the emergence of new cavities with a uniform and circular shape. The FTIR spectra showed the disappearance of some bands, remaining bands belonging to functional groups containing carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. The XRD patterns confirmed the amorphous structure of the material even after the carbonization step, composed of amorphous graphitic carbon. EDS analysis showed that the carbon percentage increased and the oxygen decreased after the carbonization. The experiments were performed at neutral pH using 1 g L−1 of adsorbent. In equilibrium isotherms, the temperature played a considerable role in the adsorption capacity, increasing from 26.39 mg g−1 to 35.67 mg g−1 when the temperature varied from 298 to 328 K. The Liu isotherms were the ones that best fit the isotherm data. The changes in the adsorption enthalpy were endothermic (ΔH° 129.5 kJ mol−1). The general order kinetic model was the most adequate for kinetic data, presenting the lowest values of the Bayesian Information Criterion. Thus, activated carbon developed from the residues of the “araça” fruit showed promise in removing atrazine from aqueous solutions, with the great advantage of its high efficiency under neutral pH solutions and mild temperatures.

Hierarchical porous phenolic polymer for efficient adsorption of triazine herbicides: Novel preparation strategies and potential applications

Efficient removal of pollutants based on porous adsorbents is a research hotspot now. Triazine herbicides (TRZHs), a class of broad-spectrum, low-cost pesticides, have become an environmental concern owing to the widespread use and abuse these chemicals. In this study, an ionic liquid (IL)-functionalized porous m-aminophenol formaldehyde polymer (IL-PMAPFP) used to adsorb four TRZHs (simazine, cyanazine, atrazine, and terbuthylazine) in environmental water was synthesized. The role of the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymer (F127) and IL in pore formation was confirmed by microscopic morphology and specific surface area analysis of IL-PMAPFP. The specific surface area of IL-PMAPFP increased 13-fold after adding F127 and the IL. The adsorption of TRZHs on IL-PMAPFP conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. The adsorption process is spontaneous, endothermic, and has a strong anti-interference ability. The adsorption equilibrium of IL-PMAPFP could be reached within 1 h, and the adsorption capacities of the four TRZHs are 4.26, 4.82, 5.21, and 8.53 mg/g, respectively, which were higher than many reported adsorbents. Theoretically, the ability of the adsorbent to treat TRZH-contaminated water is 450–900 L/g. IL-PMAPFP is a powerful adsorbent owing to its large surface area, high adsorption amount, fast mass transfer, and good regeneration capability (>eight cycles). IL-PMAPFP combined with dispersive solid phase extraction/miniaturized pipette tip solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography is expected to accurately quantify TRZHs. In addition, the synergistic pore formation strategy of F127 and IL present a new method for preparing of porous polymer. This study provides a new perspective for developing efficient purification techniques to monitor and remove pollutants.

Adsorption of atrazine herbicide from water by diospyros kaki fruit waste activated carbon

In this work, Diospyros kaki fruit waste was employed as a precursor material to develop a high surface area activated carbon, which efficiently removed the toxic herbicide atrazine (ATZ) from synthetic water solutions and river waters. The alternative activated carbon presented excellent characteristics and structure, including high values of specific surface area (1067 m2 g−1) and pore volume (0.530 cm3 g−1) and some important functional groups on the surface. The temperature positively influenced the adsorption capacity, from 194.20 to 211.51 mg g−1. The Freundlich model was the proper one to represent the equilibrium data. Thermodynamic parameters confirmed the endothermic nature of the adsorption process. Kinetic studies confirmed that equilibrium was reached until 240 min, regardless of ATZ initial concentration. The LDF model adjusted well to the kinetic data, resulting in a diffusion coefficient ranging from 0.89x10-9 to 1.63x10-9 cm2 s−1 as the ATZ concentration increased. The activated carbon also decreased 85% of the ATZ concentration in a river water sample. Overall, the activated carbon developed from Diospyros kaki fruit waste presented an efficient ATZ removal from aqueous matrices.

Sodium alginate/chitosan/glyphosate superabsorbent bio‐foam as a release system for herbicide

AbstractThis work presents a prepare method of a bio‐foam constituted by sodium alginate, chitosan (CH), and glyphosate to form a material to be applied in controlled release of herbicide. It was investigated the influence of mixture pH on the bio‐foam physicochemical properties. Kinetic studies of glyphosate adsorption and release were performed. The interactions between the polysaccharides and the herbicide were also investigated. The bio‐foams were evaluated for their mechanical and morphological properties. All samples presented swelling degree above 1000%. The bio‐foam prepared at pH 6 presented a higher compression resistance and provided the higher herbicide adsorption. The bio‐foam was able to control the release of glyphosate. The release kinetics reached equilibrium state after 30 days, during which cumulative release was approximately 90%. Confocal microscopy images showed the preferential interaction of glyphosate with the CH molecules in bio‐foam. This work presents a new perspective for polysaccharide systems, enabling new high‐performance agricultural applications.

Glyphosate adsorption onto porous clay heterostructure (PCH): kinetic and thermodynamic studies

The synthesis of PCH from natural bentonite produces a porous heterostructure material effective for the adsorption of glyphosate from water. The adsorption process takes place through an interaction between the silanol group of montmorillonite and/or the PCH adsorbent with the functional groups of glyphosate. The glyphosate adsorption isotherms, recorded for all the studied samples, have been established to be of Langmuir type. The kinetic of the herbicide adsorption on the PCH was best described by the pseudo-second-order model. With the increase in temperature from 25 to 50 °C, the sorption capacities of the materials studied towards glyphosate increased. The process of glyphosate adsorption was found to be endothermic and spontaneous in nature, as indicated by positive values of ΔH and negative values of ΔG. According to the results obtained, the herbicide sorption was more effective in a basic environment. The maximum amount of adsorbed glyphosate is almost doubled with PCH from 13.5 mg/g of natural clay to 27.5 mg/g of PCH.Graphic abstract

Adsorption and degradation behavior of six herbicides in different agricultural soils

This study focuses on the assessment of herbicide adsorption and degradation in three soils (Haplic Chernozem, Haplic Fluvisol, and Arenic Regozem) from different agricultural regions of the Czech Republic where sunflower is cultivated. Soil samples were used in laboratory batch adsorption and degradation experiments for six herbicides commonly used on sunflower crops. The findings are used to examine the effect of soil and herbicide properties on adsorption and degradation, as well as to determine the possible relationship between the two processes. The (Kf) sorption coefficient ranged from 1.07 to 135.37 cm3/nμg1−1/ng−1, and sorption increased in the following order: dimethenamid-p < pethoxamid < S-metolachlor < flurochloridone < aclonifen < pendimethalin. Adsorption of all six herbicides was positively correlated with soil organic matter content (p < 0.001), and cation exchange capacity (p < 0.001). pH was negatively correlated with the adsorption of all six compounds (p < 0.001). Degradation rates of herbicides ranged from 0. 012 to 0. 048 day−1, which corresponding to the half-lives (DT50) between 14 and 57 days, respectively. The highest half-life values were found in Haplic Fluvisol (a loam with higher organic matter content and lower pH). Results showed that both adsorption and degradation of herbicides are mainly controlled by soil organic matter. A negative relationship was found between the sorption coefficient and the rate of degradation. It can be concluded that the Freundlich sorption coefficient (Kf) can be a good predictor for the degradation of the studied herbicides.

In vitro removal of paraquat and diquat from aqueous media using raw and calcined basil seed

Raw and calcined basil seeds (BS and BS1000, respectively) were evaluated for their ability to remove herbicides such as paraquat and diquat. The physicochemical properties of BS and BS1000 were determined and the effects of contact time and initial concentration on paraquat and diquat adsorption were assessed. After calcination treatment, the number of pores in BS increased, and the specific surface area was increased from 0.265 to 86.902 m2 g−1. The quantity of herbicides adsorbed using BS1000 was greater than that using either BS or medicinal-grade carbon. Additionally, the adsorption quantity increased with the increase in contact time and initial concentration of herbicide. Therefore, BS1000 is a potential resource for the removal of herbicides. Moreover, BS and BS1000 exhibited the capacity for herbicide adsorption in simulated intestinal fluid.

Experimental Design and Response Surface Methodology Applied to Graphene Oxide Reduction for Adsorption of Triazine Herbicides.

In this work, pristine graphene oxide and its thermally reduced derivatives, rGO, were tested for the removal of triazines (atraton, prometryn, and atrazine) from water. The reduction process was optimized by means of design of experiments (DOE) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM), relying on the adsorption efficiency of the material. The optimal reduction conditions were calculated at a temperature of 110 °C maintained for 24 h; the mildest and simplest reduction protocol was chosen, as it allows in-air heat treatment with a common laboratory oven. The rGO samples were characterized before use, confirming a partial reduction process that, leaving intact most of the oxygenated functionalities on the graphene skeleton, may still allow favorable adsorption of pollutants through both hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions, which result from a large conjugated polyaromatic system. Triazine analyses were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); the data obtained from the adsorption isotherms were fitted with the Langmuir and Freundlich models, highlighting a slightly different adsorption behavior of atraton and prometryn compared with atrazine. Model outcomes were also used to support the hypotheses about the adsorption process.

Can the multi-walled carbon nanotubes be used to alleviate the phytotoxicity of herbicides in soils?

Herbicides are commonly used globally. However, residual herbicides in soils for ages often result in phytotoxicity and serious yield loss to subsequent crops. In this paper, the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were utilized to amend the herbicide polluted soil, and the adsorption performance of herbicides to MWCNTs amended soil was studied. Results indicate efficient alleviation of herbicide-induced phytotoxicity to rice and tobacco due to MWCNTs amendment. When 0.4% MWCNTs were applied, the concentration of sulfentrazone that inhibited the same rice height by 50% (IC50) increased to more than 3 times that of pure soil. When the MWCNTs were used to alleviate the phytotoxicity of quinclorac to tobacco, the MWCNTs not only alleviated the phytotoxicity of quinclorac but also promoted the growth of tobacco. The MWCNTs amended soil significantly increased the adsorption of herbicide to soil than biochar. The soil microbial analysis shows that MWCNTs had no significant effect on soil microbial community diversity, but the long-term exposure to MWCNTs could change the structure of the soil microbial community. Above all, our results highlighted the potential implication of the MWCNTs to ensure crop production by promoting crop growth and reducing the residual bioavailability of herbicides.

Adsorption investigation of 2,4-D herbicide on acid-treated peanut (Arachis hypogaea) skins.

In this work, peanut (Arachis hypogaea) skin, a by-product generated by the agricultural production of its seeds, was employed as a precursor in the preparation of an adsorbent for the 2,4-D removal in water. The skins were treated with sulfuric acid and characterized by different techniques. The adsorption was favored at acid pH = 2 with pHpzc = 6. The dosage of 0.9 g L-1 was considered ideal, obtaining satisfactory indications of removal and capacity. The kinetic curves were well represented by the general order model, with the equilibrium reached quickly in the first 30 min for all concentrations. Adsorption isotherm studies showed that the increase in temperature negatively affected the herbicide adsorption, obtaining a maximum capacity of 246.72 mg g-1, by the Langmuir isotherm at 298 K. The remarkable adsorption efficiency presented by the adsorbent can be associated with the presence of new functional groups on the adsorbent surface generated after the acid treatment. Thermodynamic parameters confirmed the exothermic nature of the adsorptive system. In the treatment of synthetic wastewater consisting of a mixture of herbicides and salts, a high removal efficiency (72%) of herbicides was obtained. Therefore, the development of an adsorbent derived from peanut (Arachis hypogaea) skin treated with sulfuric acid is an excellent alternative, generating remarkable removal results towards 2,4-D herbicide.

Effects of NaOH Activation on Adsorptive Removal of Herbicides by Biochars Prepared from Ground Coffee Residues

In this study, the adsorption of herbicides using ground coffee residue biochars without (GCRB) and with NaOH activation (GCRB-N) was compared to provide deeper insights into their adsorption behaviors and mechanisms. The physicochemical characteristics of GCRB and GCRB-N were analyzed using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction and the effects of pH, temperature, ionic strength, and humic acids on the adsorption of herbicides were identified. Moreover, the adsorption kinetics and isotherms were studied. The specific surface area and total pore volume of GCRB-N (405.33 m2/g and 0.293 cm3/g) were greater than those of GCRB (3.83 m2/g and 0.014 cm3/g). The GCBR-N could more effectively remove the herbicides (Qe,exp of Alachlor = 122.71 μmol/g, Qe,exp of Diuron = 166.42 μmol/g, and Qe,exp of Simazine = 99.16 μmol/g) than GCRB (Qe,exp of Alachlor = 11.74 μmol/g, Qe,exp of Diuron = 9.95 μmol/g, and Qe,exp of Simazine = 6.53 μmol/g). These results suggested that chemical activation with NaOH might be a promising option to make the GCRB more practical and effective for removing herbicides in the aqueous solutions.

Synthesis of amphiphilic and porous copolymers through polymerization of high internal phase carboxylic carbon nanotubes emulsions and application as adsorbents for triazine herbicides analysis

In this study, amphiphilic and porous copolymers were successfully prepared by doping a carboxylated carbon nanotube aqueous phase into a styrene and divinylbenzene oil phase, followed by a simple thermal polymerization to form high internalphase emulsions (polyHIPEs-CNTs). Hypercrosslinking and interconnecting chambers were formed with abundant open-cell pores with sizes ranging from 400 nm to 3.0 µm. Infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, water contact angle measurements, and adsorption–desorption measurements were used to evaluate the characteristics of the material. The synthesized copolymers were demonstrated to be suitable for the separation of triazine herbicides from soil under optimized operating conditions. The maximum adsorption capacities of simazine, prometon, and prometryn were 25.4, 26.5, and 27.8 µg/g, respectively; the mean recoveries ranged from 87.56 to 97.67%, with a relative standard deviation lower than 4.5%. The polymers were stable, and the adsorption and desorption of the triazine herbicides were completed within a short period (10 min) without obvious interference. Adsorption isotherms revealed that the adsorption was co-determined by multiple effects between the adsorbents and compounds. An excellent reuse performance was observed, and the proposed polymers were believed to be potential materials for sample pretreatment in environmental science and pollutant cleaning engineering.

Modelling of the adsorption of urea herbicides by tropical soils with an Adaptive‐Neural‐based Fuzzy Inference System

AbstractSorption of pesticides by soils holds a major consequence for their fate in the environment. As such, sorption coefficient (Kd/Koc), which is derived from laboratory or field experiments is a fundamental parameter used in almost all screening tools to evaluate the fate or mobility of these compounds. The value of this coefficient is controlled by many soil and solute specific properties, as well as environmental variables. Soft computing techniques such as Adaptive Neuro‐Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) have been successfully used to predict the equilibrium partitioning of many compounds in various engineered systems. Application of these techniques to natural systems such as soils is however lacking. Here, we present the use of ANFIS in predicting the sorption per unit mass of soil, Qe, used in the calculation of Kd/Koc of compounds in soils. In a previous study, we collected data associated to the adsorption of five phenylurea herbicides in 18 tropical soils. Here, we analysed such data and based on established correlations, nine variables were selected as potential input vectors (i.e., six soil properties, two herbicides molecular descriptors and initial solute concentrations). A total of 255 ANFIS models of one to eight input vectors were elaborated under 10‐fold cross‐validation. Multiple linear regression (MLR) models were similarly developed, and compared with the ANFIS in terms of mean absolute error (MAE), root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2). The best ANFIS model (M94) has an MAEtest, RMSEtest and R2test of 3.43 ± 0.43, 4.94 ± 0.80 and 0.95 ± 0.01, respectively, whereas the best MLR model (M13) returned an MAE, RMSE and R2 of 7.71 ± 0.13, 10.11 ± 1.21 and 0.81 ± 0.01, respectively. We observed that generally ANFIS performed better than MLR regarding both accuracy and interpretability. Accordingly, we recommend the use of ANFIS for predicting the sorption coefficients of phenylurea herbicides (PUHs) in soils.

Assessing the Adsorption of Bipyridinium Herbicides on Model Soil Granular Media

In this research work, the adsorption of two bipyridinium herbicides (i. e., Diquat and Paraquat) on natural soil and on model soil surfaces has been studied at different water chemistries commonly found in the environment (e.g., pH, supporting electrolyte, and presence of humic or fulvic acids). The experimental work was carried out in the laboratory, using experimental batches of clean quartz sand, silanized quartz sand and sandy soil as a model of agricultural topsoil where herbicides are commonly used and can be adsorbed. The concentrations reached at the equilibrium were analyzed by UV-Visible Spectroscopy for the supernatant fraction of the samples. The concentrations were fitted using adsorption isotherms to determine the adsorption mechanisms (i.e., chemisorption or physisorption) at the interface. In general terms, we have encountered that the nature of the soil matrix plays an important role on the study of pollutant adsorption. In experiments carried out on silica sand, the most abundant component of the natural soil matrix, no significant sorption was observed (&amp;lt;1.5 mg/g) for any of the herbicides. Yet, in experiments carried out on the presence of clay and natural organic matter (i.e., fulvic and humic acids), the adsorption of both herbicides is much higher, likely due to the chemical structure of the molecules that might facilitate the complexation with both herbicides. This investigation improves our understanding of the role that soil granular components play on the absorption of two commonly used herbicides and adequately predict their fate in natural aquatic environments.

Insight into the adsorption mechanisms of ionizable imidazolinone herbicides in sediments: Kinetics, adsorption model, and influencing factors

To reveal the adsorption mechanisms of imazamox, imazapic, and imazethapyr on sediment and batch experiments were carried out in this study. The adsorption kinetics of three imidazolinone herbicides on sediment were accurately described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model(R2 > 0.9004). The values of adsorption capacity (Qe.cal) were ranged from 0.0183 to 0.0859 mg kg−1 for three herbicides. Adsorption equilibrium was reached within 24 h for three herbicides on sediment, and well fitted by the Freundlich model(R2 > 0.9561). The KF of values for adsorption obtained sediment samples were ranged from 0.2501 to 1.322 L1/n mg1-1/n kg−1for three herbicides. These results indicated that intraparticle diffusion and external mass transport were the main rate controlling steps of the adsorption of herbicides on sediment and that the chemical adsorption was dominant during the adsorption processes. The calculated hysteresis coefficient H were 0.9422,0.7877 and 0.744 for imazmox, imazapic and imazethapyr in raw sediment, respectively, indicating that there is a hysteresis in desorption. The influences of solution pH and sediment organic carbon content on the imidazolinone herbicide adsorption behaviors were also examined. Which shown that the adsorption process for herbicides was highly pH-dependent and adsorption efficiency was closely related to the organic matter content of the sediment, suggesting that electrostatic interactions played crucial roles in the adsorption behavior between sediment and imidazolinone herbicides, and the herbicides were mostly absorbed by the amorphous materials of sediment. These research findings are important for assessing the fate and transport of imidazolinone herbicides in water–sediment systems.

ANN Modelling of the Adsorption of Herbicides and Pesticides Based on Sorbate-Sorbent Interphase

Herbicides and pesticides (H & P) are commonly used in agricultural practice and is a serious environmental pollutant in contemporary times. Studies have shown that it can be efficiently mitigated from the environment by adsorption. The aim of this study was to utilise Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to model the adsorption of H & P from aqueous media based on the sorbate-sorbent interphase. The sorbate-sorbent interphase was characterised by the relative molecular mass (g/mol), specific surface area (m2/g), effective surface area (mol/m2), solubility (mol/l), and preferential adsorption (sorbate mol on sorbent/sorbate mol in solution). The coefficient of determination (R2) at training, validation and testing were 0.9825, 0.9428 and 0.9793 respectively. The accuracy of the model was substantiated by direct comparison and parity plots. The paired samples correlation showed a strong positive correlation (0.980) and statistical significance (p < 0.05) between the model predictions and experimental results. This study reveals that information on the adsorbent specific surface area, adsorbent effective surface area, adsorbate preferential adsorption, adsorbate solubility and adsorbate relative molecular mass can be used to accurately predict the mass adsorption capacity for any H & P from aqueous media.

Leonardite-Derived Biochar Suitability for Effective Sorption of Herbicides

Leonardite (LND) and its biochar have gained much attention as it can improve soil quality and immobilize herbicides in the subsurface. Our objective was to quantify the herbicide adsorption characteristics of carbonized LND (cLND). The physiochemical properties were compared side by side between LND and cLND at different pyrolysis temperatures (450–850 °C). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectral analysis confirmed the loss of oxygen-containing functional groups such as H-bonded OH, carbonyl, or C=O and the presence of the aromatic C=C group up to 650 °C. Both of which were later used to establish the governing adsorption mechanism. At >450 °C, the Si content decreased slightly and the calcium content increased, indicating proper use of cLND for Si-deficit soil and acidified soil. By conducting multiple linear regression analyses, the atrazine adsorption kinetic fitted well with pseudo-second-order models while both alachlor and atrazine sorption behavior were well described using a monolayer isotherm (Langmuir and Jovanovich, respectively). The herbicide hydrophilicity slightly affected the sorption mechanism which indirectly resulted from the existence of graphitic carbon on the LND carbonized at a higher temperature. Increased cLND in the soil resulted in much better improvement in the water holding capacity than from LND due to the presence of sufficient mesopores and adequate surface porosity. Our results showed that LND can be readily transformed into better adsorbing biochar at 550 °C compared to higher temperatures. Overall, the study provided a better understanding of the application of leonardite derived-biochar as an effective alternative soil amendment and herbicide-immobilizing adsorbent.

Batch Adsorption of Herbicides from Aqueous Solution Onto Diverse Reusable Materials and Granulated Activated Carbon

Batch Adsorption of Herbicides from Aqueous Solution Onto Diverse Reusable Materials and Granulated Activated Carbon

Photocatalytic degradation and adsorption of herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid from aqueous solution using TiO2/BiOBr/Bi2S3 nanostructure stabilized on the activated carbon under visible light

TiO2/BiOBr/Bi2S3 nanostructure impregnated on the activated carbon (AC) was synthesized, in order to achieve considerable synergy between photocatalysis and adsorption for 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) removal from polluted water. The XRD, XRF, EDX, FE-SEM, and FT-IR analyses confirmed successful formation of the catalyst. The results of UV-DRS analysis, showed the estimated band gaps obtained were about 2.8 eV and 2.55 eV for the TiO2/BiOBr and TiO2/BiOBr/Bi2S3 nanostructures respectively showing high potential for the wide range of visible and solar spectrum. The photocatalytic degradation results based on the response surface methodology (RSM) experimental design confirmed that initial 2,4-D concentration, pH, catalyst concentration, irradiation time and the interaction between TiO2/BiOBr/Bi2S3/AC concentration and irradiation time had the most effects, respectively. The best results were obtained under the optimum conditions (2,4-D = 90 mg/L, pH = 3, catalyst = 0.6 mg/L and irradiation time = 90 min) on which the pollutant removal efficiency was 98 % and TOC removal efficiency was determined 74 %. Increasing the visible light intensity to 120 mW/cm2 resulted in a complete degradation. The coexistence of 10 % BiOBr and 5%Bi2S3 compounds on TiO2 not only increased the absorption edge to 600 nm and charge transportation but also improved photocatalytic properties of TiO2/BiOBr/Bi2S3/AC nanostructure as it could be an appropriate compound for water treatment.