Synthesis of Magnetic Sonophotocatalyst and its Enhanced Biodegradability of Organophosphate Pesticide

A magnetic sonophotocatalyst $Fe_3O_4@SiO_2@TiO_2$ is synthesized for the enhanced biodegradability of organophosphate pesticide. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized using different techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The radial sonophotocatalytic activity of $Fe_3O_4@SiO_2@TiO_2$ nanocomposite was investigated, in which commercial dichlorvos (DDVP) was chosen as an object. The degradation efficiency was evaluated in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and enhancement of biodegradability. The effect of different factors, such as reaction time, pH, the added amount of catalyst on $COD_{Cr}$ removal efficiency were investigated. The average $COD_{Cr}$ removal efficiency reached 63.13% after 240 min in 12 L sonophotocatalytic reactor (catalyst $0.2gL^{-1}$, pH 7.3). The synergistic effect occurs in the combined sonolysis and photocatalysis which is proved by the significant improvement in $COD_{Cr}$ removal efficiency compared with that of solo photocatalysis. Under this experimental condition, the $BOD_5/COD_{Cr}$ ratio rose from 0.131 to 0.411, showing a remarkable improvement in biodegradability. These results showed that sonophotocatalysis may be applied as pre-treatment of pesticide wastewater, and then for biological treatment. The synthesized magnetic nanocomposite had good photocatalytic performance and stability, as when it was used for the fifth time, the $COD_{Cr}$ removal efficiency was still about 62.38%.