Photocatalytic degradation of commercial methyl parathion in aqueous suspension containing La-doped TiO2 nanoparticles.

The photocatalytic degradation of a commercial methyl parathion (MP) under UV irradiation was investigated in aqueous suspension containing lanthanum-doped mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles (La/m-TiO2) as photocatalyst. The rate of photodecomposition of MP was measured using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and its mineralization was followed using ion chromatography (IC). The identification of possible intermediate products was carried out using several powerful analytical techniques such as gas chromatography-pulsed flame photometric detector (GC-PFPD) and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (HPLC-MS). Under our conditions, complete disappearance of 20 mg/L of MP occurred within 2 h of illumination, whereas complete mineralization of MP was not achieved through IC analysis. There was a single intermediate product found in the research, which was identified to be methyl paraoxon, owing to the substitution of S by the O atom in the MP molecule. Based on the experimental facts, it is concluded that MP was mainly attacked not by OH radicals but photo-generated holes (h+), resulting from the good adsorption of MP on the catalyst surfaces due to the enhanced adsorption by La doping.

Degradation mechanism and the toxicity assessment in TiO2 photocatalysis and photolysis of parathion.

The photocatalytic degradation of methyl parathion was carried out using a circulating TiO2/UV reactor. The experimental results showed that parathion was more effectively degraded in the photocatalytic condition than the photolysis and TiO2-only condition. With photocatalysis, 10mg/l parathion was completely degraded within 60 min with a TOC decrease exceeding 90% after 150 min. The main ionic byproducts during photocatalysis were measured. The nitrogen from parathion was recovered mainly as NO3-, NO2- and NH4+, 80% of the sulfur as SO4(2-), and less than 5% of the phosphorus as PO4(3-). The organic intermediates 4-nitrophenol and paraoxon were also identified, and these were further degraded. Two different bioassays (Vibrio fischeri and Daphnia magna) were used to test the acute toxicity of solutions treated by photocatalysis and photolysis. A Microtox test using V. fischeri showed that the toxicity, expressed as the relative toxicity (%), was reduced almost completely after 90 min under photocatalysis, whereas only an 83% reduction was achieved with photolysis alone. Another toxicity test using D. magna also showed that the relative toxicity disappeared after 90 min under photocatalysis, whereas there was a 65% reduction in relative toxicity with photolysis alone. The pattern of toxicity reduction parallels the decrease in parathion and TOC concentrations.