CeO 2 / TiO 2 / SiO 2 nanocatalyst for the photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic degradation of chlorpyrifos

A new nanohybrid photocatalyst named cerium (IV) oxide (CeO 2 )/TiO 2 (titania)/silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) was firstly synthesized employing the co‐precipitation technique to elaborate the degradation efficiency of chlorpyrifos (CPS) as a relatively indelible organophosphorus pesticide in deionized water in photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic processes. The influence of various parameters, including photocatalyst dosage, the CPS pesticide concentration, pH, and irradiation time, was investigated, and the optimal parameters for photodegradation and sonophotodegradation were determined. The activity and the electrical energy of this photocatalyst in the photodegradation and sonophotodegradation processes were compared, and it was revealed that the sonophotocatalytic process was superior to the photocatalytic one (about 15%). Results depicted that it can be employed four times for the photocatalytic reactions with the same yield of CPS degradation. Besides, the CPS degradation efficiency at the optimum conditions was found to be 81.1% and 90.8% for the photo‐degradation and sonophotodegradation, respectively. Pursuant to the kinetic studies, the kinetics models that govern these processes are leaner with acceptable accuracy.