Survey Efficiency of Ultraviolet and Zinc Oxide Process (UV/ZnO) for Removal of Diazinon Pesticide from Aqueous Solution

The presence of persistent organic pollutants and toxics (e. g.، pesticides) in ground، surface، and drinking water resources combined with the inability of conventional treatment methods to remove these pollutants have led to the development of advanced oxidation processes. Nowadays، nanophotocatalyst processes are considered as clean and environmentally-friendly treatment methods that can be extensively used for removing contaminants. The objective of the present study was to determine the efficiency of the ultraviolet and zinc oxide (UV/ZnO) process in the removal of diazinon pesticide from aqueous solutions. For the purposes of this study، samples were adjusted in a batch reactor at five different detention times. The pH levels used were 3، 7، and 9. Irradiation was performed using a 125 W medium-pressure mercury lamp. The diazinon concentrations of the samples were 100 and 500 µg/L and the concentrations of zinc oxide nanoparticles were 50، 100، and 150 mg/L. The highest degradation efficiency was observed at pH 7 (mean = 80. 92 30. 3)، while the lowest was observed for pH 3 (mean 67. 11 24. 49). Results showed that the optimal concentration of nanoparticles (6-12 nm) was 100 mg L-1.