Impact of Inorganic Anions on the Photodegradation of Herbicide Residues in Water by UV/Persulfate-Based Advanced Oxidation

The removal of pesticides and other organic pollutants from water through advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) holds great promise. The main advantage of these technologies is that they remove, or at least reduce, pesticide levels by mineralization rather than transfer, as in conventional processes. This study first evaluated the effectiveness of UV/S2O8= compared to heterogeneous photocatalysis using UV/TiO2 processes on the degradation of two commonly used herbicides (terbuthylazine and isoproturon) in aqueous solutions using a laboratory photoreactor. In addition, the effect of the UV wavelength on the degradation efficiency of both herbicides was investigated. Although the degradation rate was greater under UV(254)/S2O8= nm than under UV(365)/S2O8= nm, complete degradation of the herbicides (0.2 mg L−1) was achieved within 30 min under UV-366 nm using a Na2S2O8 dose of 250 mg L−1 in the absence of inorganic anions. To assess the impact of the water matrix, the individual and combined effects of sulfate (SO4=), bicarbonate (HCO3−), and chloride (Cl−) were evaluated. These can react with hydroxyl (HO•) and sulfate (SO4•−) radicals generated during AOPs to form new radicals with a lower redox potential. The results showed negligible effects of SO4=, while the combination of HCO3− and Cl− seemed to be the key to the decrease in herbicide removal efficiency found when working with complex matrices. Finally, the main intermediates detected during the photodegradation process are identified, and the likely pathways involving dealkylation, dechlorination, and hydroxylation are proposed and discussed.