Synthesis and characterization of Fe3O4@SiO2 -supported metal-organic framework PAEDTC@MIL-101 (Fe) for degradation of chlorpyrifos and diazinon pesticides.

In this study, a new core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2/PAEDTC@MIL-101 (Fe) photocatalyst was prepared by sol-gel method and used to degrade diazinon (DZN) and chlorpyrifos (CPS) from aqueous solutions. The characteristics analyzed by various techniques indicate that the core-shell photocatalyst with a specific surface area of 992 m2/g, pore size of 1.35 nm and saturation magnetization of nanocomposite was 12 emu/g has been successfully synthesized and can be separated from the reaction solution by a magnetic field. The maximum efficiencies of DZN (98.8%) and CPS (99.9%) were provided at pH of 5, photocatalyst dosage of 0.6 g/L, pollutant concentration of 25 mg/L, radiation intensity of 15 W, and time of 60 min. The presence of anions such as sulfate, nitrate, bicarbonate, phosphate, and chloride had a negative effect on the performance of the photocatalysis system. Compared to the adsorption and photolysis systems alone, the photocatalytic process based on Fe3O4@SiO2/PAEDTC@MIL-101 (Fe) under two UV and visible light sources showed a high efficiency of 90% in the reaction time of 60 min. The BOD5/COD ratio improved after 50 min to above 0.4 with TOC and COD removal rates >80%. Scavenging tests showed that •OH radical, hole (h+), electron (e-), and O2•- anion were produced in the reaction reactor, and the •OH radical was the dominant species in the degradation of DZN and CPS. The stability tests confirmed the recyclability of the photocatalyst in 360 min of reactions, with a minimum reduction of 7%. Energy consumption for the present system during different reactions was between 15.61 and 25.06 kWh/m3 for DZN degradation and 10-22.87 kWh/m3 for CPS degradation.