CoFe<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf>@TiO<inf>2</inf> decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of chlorpyrifos

Abstract

Chlorpyrifos is widely used to control pest insects in residential, agricultural, and commercial applications. Its common use has led to the release of chlorpyrifos into sediments, wastewater and water sources. The presence of chlorpyrifos in wastewaters and water sources may affect ecosystem and human health due to its chronicle toxicity to aquatic organisms. In this study, magnetic recoverable CoFe<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf>@TiO<inf>2</inf> decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite was prepared and used for investigating the photodegradation of chlorpyrifos. The nanocomposite was characterized by using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. In photocatalytic degradation of chlorpyrifos experiments, the effect of operating variables such as initial chlorpyrifos concentration, catalyst dosage and contact time was also investigated. The photocatalytic degradation of chlorpyrifos followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The results indicated that the nanocomposite exhibited a high efficient photocatalytic activity on the photodegradation of chlorpyrifos. The nanocomposite was separated from the solution by a magnet and reused after the photodegradation of chlorpyrifos. The recyclable of the nanocomposite is economically significant in the industry. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.