Review ArticleSolar (electrochemical) advanced oxidation processes as efficient treatments for degradation of pesticides
Graphical abstract
Introduction
Water pollution is a worldwide threat to physical and environmental health of billions of people in both developed and developing countries. The agricultural sector has been expanding in recent years due to population growth and its food consumption requirement. Into the agricultural development, the application of pesticides and fertilizers, which are considered as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), is a crucial tool for plant protection and for boosting high crop yield. Additionally, these POPs are used to control agricultural pests, weeds, and plants diseases [1]. Although current formulations are quite harmless to non-target species, several studies have demonstrated that pesticide residues can produce long-term harmful effects on the health of humans and animals and the steadiness of ecosystems [1, 2, 3∗∗]. Therefore, the agricultural sector (cropping activities, livestock, and aquaculture) is considered as one of the major sources of water pollution. Because of the deficient elimination systems, POPs are accumulated at high concentrations in water bodies. Hence, the removal of pesticides is an important challenge for reclaiming water from municipal and agricultural wastewaters. The maximum levels of pesticide residues have been regulated by the Drinking Water Directive (European Union) [4] and the Office of Pesticides Programs of Environmental Protection Agency (United States of America) [5]. To meet these standards, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs), are being studied as an alternative to overcome the shortcomings of conventional methods used in wastewater treatment plants. Then, the objective of this min-review is to condense the recent studies regarding the degradation of pesticides using these processes aided by solar energy. Additionally, key operating conditions as well as the advantages and drawbacks are stated to provide new insights into the future of these technologies.
Section snippets
Pesticides
Currently, the agricultural sector consumes up to 85% of the world's pesticide production. Pesticides, also known as agrochemicals, are chemical substances used to kill, repel, attract, regulate, or interrupt the growth of living organisms considered pests [6,7]. These products play an important role in the development of agriculture and become a fundamental tool for maintaining and improving the standard of living of the world's population [8,9]. Pesticides can be grouped into several
Pesticide-containing wastewater treated by solar-powered processes
AOPs involve different strong oxidizing species, mostly hydroxyl radicals (•OH), to degrade/mineralize organic contaminants at a higher efficiency than traditional methods [29,30]. Depending on the mechanism of •OH generation, AOPs can be classified as homogeneous, heterogeneous, photochemical, and electrochemical. All these technologies have shown good degradation/mineralization efficiency of pesticides. However, the operating conditions must be meticulously explored to avoid the production of
Conclusion and perspectives
This review presented recent achievements in pesticide degradation using solar(electrochemical) advanced oxidation processes. Although pesticides play a considerable role in increasing harvest production as well as the production of high-quality and inexpensive food, the growing use of pesticides also causes negative effects to the environment and human health. To deal with this, advanced oxidation processes assisted with solar and/or electrical energy had been studied to eliminate such
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Ricardo Salazar reports financial support was provided by National Agency for Research and Development.
Acknowledgment
Miguel A. Sandoval is grateful to Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID- FONDECYT, Chile) for granting the postdoctoral scholarship, No. 3200274. Ricardo Salazar thanks to ANID/FONDAP/15110019 SERC Chile, FONDEQUIP EQM190016 and Dirección de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (DICYT), Universidad de Santiago de Chile project 022042SG_POSTDOC_EXT (W. Calzadilla).
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