Photocatalytic activity of graphene oxide-TiO₂ nanocomposite on dichlorvos and malathion and assessment of toxicity changes due to photodegradation

Heterogeneous photocatalysis was used for the removal of two widely used organophosphorus pesticides, dichlorvos, and malathion from water. Graphene oxide-TiO₂ nanocomposite (GOT) was synthesized and used as a photocatalyst for the removal of these pesticides. Batch studies for optimizing photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of pesticides over 80 min were conducted by varying the pH (2–10), catalyst dose (20 mg/L-200 mg/L), and initial pesticide concentration (0.5 mg/L-20 mg/L), and the irradiation source (125 W UV and visible lamp). Degradation kinetics for the pesticides were evaluated. Ellman assay was used to estimate the toxic effect of pesticides and evaluate toxicity reduction due to treatment. The highest degradation and mineralization of dichlorvos and malathion was observed at pH 6 and the optimum catalyst dose was 60 mg/L. Under UV irradiation, 80% and 90% degradation were observed for dichlorvos and malathion, respectively for 0.5 mg/L initial pesticide concentration. The photocatalytic degradation reaction followed Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics. A high degree of mineralization was achieved for both the pesticides. Analysis of the results revealed that the residual toxic effect after photocatalysis was primarily due to the residual parent compound. A comparative study revealed that GOT yielded better pesticide degradation compared to commercially available TiO₂ under both UV and visible irradiation.