Photocatalytic degradation and removal of type II pyrethroid pesticide (lambda-cyhalothrin) residue from wastewater using nanoceria for agricultural runoff application

Synthetic chemical pesticides' nature, mode of action, and persistence have brought about debates regarding whether the end justifies the means. Lambda-cyhalothrin is an important insecticide for farmers and households, with great accessibility and excellent action against pests and disease-carrying insects. Like other pyrethroid pesticides, Lambda-cyhalothrin targets the nervous system of insects or pests. However, its fate in the environment, especially in water and living systems, has made it crucial to explore methods of treating or degrading its residues in the environment. The present study aimed to develop a suitable method for the photocatalytic degradation and removal of Lambda-cyhalothrin (LCY) from wastewater and agricultural runoff. The nanoceria were used under natural solar irradiation without applying any scavenger chemical or buffer. This was synthesized using a simple co-precipitation method using cerium nitrate hexahydrate as a precursor. The synthesized nanoceria were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and particle size analysis. The average size of the particle was 27 nm. The photocatalytic degradation was conducted in batches with various pesticide concentrations exposed to different amounts of nanoceria. The initial and final concentrations of the LCY at each level were determined using Shimadzu UV spectroscopy. At optimum conditions, nanoceria was found to degrade and remove more than 63% of the initial pesticide concentration. This method can be suitable for degrading and removing pesticide residue from agricultural runoff (at source) and industrial effluents from synthetic pesticide industries.