The photocatalytic degradation of carbofuran and Furadan 35-ST: the influence of inert ingredients

A comparative study on photocatalytic degradation of the pesticide carbofuran and its commercial product Furadan 35-ST in an aqueous suspension of ZnO, irradiated by long-wave light (315–400 nm), is presented in this study. In order to assess the effects of inert ingredients present in the commercial product Furadan 35-ST, non-competitive and competitive adsorption and kinetic studies of carbofuran degradation processes were conducted. A higher photochemical degradation rate was found for pure carbofuran in comparison to a two-component system, carbofuran and single addition of ingredients at appropriate concentrations, and the commercial product Furadan 35-ST. The overall effect of inert ingredients was evaluated from a competitive study using the model system of Furadan 35-ST. The results of a mineralization study, obtained by ion chromatography (IC) and total organic carbon (TOC) analyses, revealed the formation of acetate, oxalate, and formate ions. Photodegradation products of carbofuran, three of them detected for the first time, were identified based on high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) results, and their photodegradation pathways were proposed.