Kinetic study of imidacloprid removal by advanced oxidation based on photo-Fenton process

In this paper, the kinetics of Imidacloprid removal from aqueous solution by photo-Fenton processes is presented. Experiments were conducted in batch mode, using a two litre jacketed Pyrex glass reactor, fitted with magnetic stirring, and six 6 W black light fluorescent lamps (lambdamax 365 nm), arranged in parallel to the reactor axis. The effect of initial Fe(II) concentration (< 0.7 mM), incident photon flux (0 to 5 x10(-6) Einstein s(-1)), and temperature (288-313K) on the rate of Imidacloprid oxidation is also assessed. When Fe(II) is present as the initial source of iron ions, a first stage of almost instantaneous Imidacloprid removal is observed, followed by a slower process. A simplified kinetic model is described and fitted well experimental data, and could be used for process design, optimization, and control purposes.