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Degradation of agricultural pollutants by biopolymer-enhanced photocatalysis: application of Taguchi method for optimization

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Abstract

This paper evaluates the photocatalytic degradation of malathion using titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles supported on sodium alginate (SA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) polymer beads and ultraviolet light as irradiation source with a wavelength of 254 nm. Six different types of beads were prepared: SA, PVA, PVP, SA/TiO2, PVA/TiO2, and PVP/TiO2 to assess the effect of the adsorbent material on the photodegradation process by optimizing an experimental design using the Taguchi method. Four factors were considered: TiO2 concentration, bead mass, polymer type, and initial malathion concentration. The response variables were the percentage of removal of the contaminant and the removal rate calculated from the first-order kinetic models. A malathion degradation of 99% was achieved after 180 min of operation when using 100 g and 200 g of SA/TiO2, PVA/TiO2, and PVP/TiO2 beads. The best operating conditions were 1 g L−1 of TiO2, 100 g of bead mass, SA polymer, and 5 mg L−1 of malathion initial concentration. This study found that the adsorption process affected negatively the photodegradation process, reducing the removal efficiency and rate. Finally, the feasibility of the use of a biopolymer-enhanced photocatalytic treatment to degrade agro-industrial contaminants was demonstrated.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank TecNM/Instituto Tecnológico de Culiacán for providing the infrastructure to carry out this work and CONAHCYT for the scholarship provided to the first author.

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No funding was received for conducting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, TecNM-Instituto Tecnológico de Culiacán, Juan de Dios Bátiz, No. 310. Col. Guadalupe, 80220, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    Rogelio Estrada-Vázquez, Jesús Gabriel Rangel-Peraza & Juan G. Loaiza

  2. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, San Pablo, No. 180. Col. Reynosa Tamaulipas, Azcapotzalco, 02200, Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX, Mexico

    Mabel Vaca-Mier

  3. Dirección Académica de Ingeniería en Tecnología Ambiental, Universidad Politécnica del Estado de Morelos, Boulevard Cuauhnáhuac, No. 556. Col. Lomas del Texcal, 62550, Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico

    Victoria Bustos-Terrones

  4. Boulevard Lola Beltrán y Boulevard Rolando Arjona, Universidad Autónoma de Occidente-Unidad Regional Culiacán, Col. 4 de Marzo, 80020, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    Jhonatan J. Hermosillo-Nevárez

  5. División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, CONAHCYT-TecNM-Instituto Tecnológico de Culiacán, Juan de Dios Bátiz, No. 310. Col. Guadalupe, 80220, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    Yaneth A. Bustos-Terrones

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  1. Rogelio Estrada-Vázquez
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  2. Mabel Vaca-Mier
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  3. Victoria Bustos-Terrones
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  4. Jesús Gabriel Rangel-Peraza
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  5. Juan G. Loaiza
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Estrada-Vázquez, R., Vaca-Mier, M., Bustos-Terrones, V. et al. Degradation of agricultural pollutants by biopolymer-enhanced photocatalysis: application of Taguchi method for optimization. Reac Kinet Mech Cat 137, 523–545 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11144-023-02515-8

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