1. Application of catalytic hydrodechlorination for the fast removal of chlorinated azole pesticides in drinking water.
- Author
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del Olmo, Raúl B., Nieto-Sandoval, Julia, Munoz, Macarena, de Pedro, Zahara M., and Casas, Jose A.
- Subjects
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MICROPOLLUTANTS , *HYDRODECHLORINATION , *WATER chlorination , *DRINKING water , *PESTICIDES , *ALUMINUM oxide , *WATER purification , *CHLOROACETIC acids - Abstract
[Display omitted] • HDC is an effective technology for the removal of chlorinated azole pesticides. • HDC effluents are non-toxic, with only chlorine-free compounds as reaction products. • Intermediates were identified and the reaction mechanism was proposed. • The Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalyst shows a relatively high stability upon consecutive applications. • The process versatility was proved in relevant aqueous matrices (DWTP and tap water). Catalytic hydrodechlorination (HDC) is regarded as a promising purifying technology for drinking water treatment. So far, it has proved to be highly effective for the removal of different groups of chlorinated micropollutants including pharmaceuticals, neonicotinoid pesticides, personal care products or chloroacetic acids. The azole pesticides, recently included in the EU Watch Lists (Decisions 2020/1161 and 2022/1307), are a group of micropollutants of particular concern for drinking water given their high toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation potential. In this work, the feasibility of HDC for the removal of a representative group of chlorinated azole pesticides tebuconazole (TEB), tetraconazole (TET), prochloraz (PCZ), penconazole (PEN), metconazole (MET) and imazalil (IMZ)) is demonstrated, and their reactivity is compared with that observed for other halogenated micropollutant groups. Notably, all the pesticides investigated in this work (100 μg L−1) were completely dechlorinated within 30 min under ambient conditions using a 1 wt% Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalyst concentration of 0.25 g L−1 and a H 2 feeding of 50 mL N min−1. The experimental data were accurately described by a pseudo-first order kinetic equation and rate constant values in the range from 1.08 to 2.60 L g cat −1 min−1 were obtained. These values are quite close to those achieved for the most reactive neonicotinoid pesticides and significantly higher than the obtained for chloroacetic acids and most pharmaceuticals (e.g. diclofenac, sertraline or chlorpromazine). From the identification of the generated reaction intermediates and the final non-chlorinated products, sequential reaction pathways were proposed for each pollutant. Remarkably, despite the high toxicity exhibited by the azole pesticides tested, with LC 50 values within the 0.4–7.0 mg L−1 range using A. salina , HDC effluents were non-toxic in all cases. Furthermore, the catalyst showed a remarkable stability upon three consecutive runs. Finally, the versatility of the process was demonstrated in the treatment of real aqueous matrices such as DWTP and tap water, where no significant differences were found either in terms of activity or stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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