Photocatalytic Degradation of a Systemic Herbicide: Picloram from Aqueous Solution Using Titanium Oxide (TiO2) under Sunlight

Abstract

The photocatalytic degradation of picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridincarboxylic acid), which is one of popular acidic herbicide, was investigated with the existence of titanium oxide (TiO2) under sunlight. The total photocatalytic degradation of 20 ppm of picloram was occurred within 30 min irradiation with TiO2, while a negligible degradation was found without TiO2 under sunlight. The influence of various parameters, like TiO2 dosage, solution initial pH, intensity of light, reaction temperature and irradiation time, was found during the photocatalytic degradation of picloram. The mineralization of picloram was proved by the deterioration of total organic carbon (TOC) of the photocatalytic process. The pseudo–first order kinetics of photocatalytic degradation was obtained according to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model, and the reaction rate constant was 17.6 × 10−2 min−1. Chloride ion, ammonium ion, nitrate ion and CO2 were erected as the final products after completing the photocatalytic degradation of picloram. The intermediate products could not be determined by the GC–MS during the degradation of picloram. Therefore, the degradation mechanism of the picloram was proposed based on the frontier electron density and the point charge at each atom of the picloram molecule. The photocatalytic degradation method, using sunlight, may develop into as a pragmatic technique to purify picloram contaminated wastewater.