Degradation of pesticides using hybrid processes based on cavitation and photocatalysis: A review

Abstract

The production of pesticides and its subsequent consumption in agricultural fields have increased significantly also resulting in environmental concerns. The current review discusses the different aspects of two emerging techniques as cavitation and photocatalysis that can be effectively applied for the degradation of toxic pesticides. Governing mechanisms for the degradation have been presented followed by discussion on the effect of different parameters on the extent of degradation, also presenting guidelines for optimum selection. It has been also demonstrated that the obtained degradation can be synergistically intensified by using combined techniques with complimentary mechanisms. The discussion clearly revealed that cavitation and photocatalysis have great potential to degrade pesticides efficiently. Overall, it was demonstrated that combined technique under the optimized set of operating conditions is energy‐efficient, cost‐effective and promising technique for pesticide degradation.