EFFECT OF OPERATIONAL PARAMETER ON PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF OXAMYL PESTICIDE

Flower like bismuth oxy chloride (BiOCl) was successfully synthesized by a simple hydrolytic method at room temperature. The precursor and as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), High Resolution Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (HR FESEM). The results indicated that the as-prepared BiOCl sample is self-assembled hierarchically with nano sheets. The photocatalytic activity of BiOCl was tested on the degradation of the Oxamyl (OM) under solar light irradiation. The results showed that pesticide molecules could be efficiently degraded over BiOCl under solar light irradiation. All the experiment were carried out in the following reaction condition, [OM] = 10-4 mol dm-3, BiOCl NPs= 40mg/50ml, pH= 6.3. Effect of operational parameter such as concentration of H2O2, K2S2O8, FeCl3, Fenton’s reagent (Fe3+/H2O2) and N2, O2 purging on the photocatalytic degradation was observed.