Application of advanced oxidation processes for the treatment of water contaminated by pesticides – A literature review
Pesticides are chemical substances intended to eliminate undesirable and harmful organisms that cause damage to crops and agricultural products. They also help maintain roads and public areas. These uses and emission sources, associated with transfer pathways such as erosion and runoff, explain the presence of pesticides in various environmental compartments. The presence of pesticides in the environment is a source of toxicity to many organisms, particularly to humans who may undergo neurodegenerative and congenital diseases and various forms of cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to control the emission sources, to reduce the transfer of pesticides into the environment and to treat contaminated media using efficient processes such as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). This review focuses on the various operating parameters that influence the effectiveness of electrochemical, photochemical and electro-photochemical processes during the treatment of water contaminated by pesticides. Generally, the effectiveness of AOPs is influenced by the nature of influent (synthetic or real), the pH and the treatment time. Electrochemical processes are influenced by the nature of the electrodes and current density applied. Photochemical processes such as photocatalytic processes are influenced by the light source, the nature and concentration of the photocatalyst. The electro-photochemical processes such as electro-photocatalysis are influenced by the nature of the photo-anode. This review has shown the effectiveness of AOPs for the total degradation and the partial mineralization of atrazine when considering an identical initial concentration (C0 = 0.1 mM).