Harnessing solar energy for degradation of herbicide solution using in situ process of photocatalysis and photo fenton in fixed mode

Abstract

Water pollution is havoc not only for India but for the entire world. Daily depletion of water quality due to a variety of sources like industries, agricultural practices, domestic activities, etc. has made it an inevitable matter of concern. Paraquat (PQ) is one such widely used herbicide associated with hazardous effects on water, soil, and human beings. Herein, this research work majorly resolved around the treatment of PQ contaminated wastewater in the slurry as well as fixed mode employing a variety of heterogeneous catalysts. The degradation methods employed were photocatalysis, photo-Fenton and in-situ hybrid process using modified TiO2 and various Fe rich waste materials as catalysts. All the synthesised materials were structurally, morphologically and optically characterised through various analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Moreover, the study also involved kinetic analysis along with the determination of various intermediates formed during the degradation process newline